Bengaluru: After nearly seven months of long detours and traffic snarls, thousands of residents, industrial workers and motorists in west Bengaluru will finally get relief Saturday with the opening of newly constructed railway under bridge (RUB) at level crossing-16 between Kengeri and Hejjala railway stations under south western railway (SWR).Union minister of state for railways V Somanna will inaugurate RUB, restoring the crucial road link between Ramohalli-Dodda Alada Mara Road (Big Banyan Tree Road) and Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. The stretch had remained closed since Dec 7, 2025, to facilitate construction of underbridge in place of the manned railway level crossing.The reopening comes months ahead of schedule. Although the project was initially expected to take about a year, SWR completed the underbridge in less than seven months.The closure had severely disrupted mobility across the region. With no direct alternative route, residents of Ramohalli, Kumbalgodu, Bheemanakuppe, Big Banyan Tree and surrounding villages were forced to travel an additional 7 to 10km through narrow village roads to access Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. A commute that earlier took around 10 minutes often stretched to nearly an hour during peak traffic.The diversion also took a toll on the region’s industrial hub. More than 500 industries in and around Kumbalgodu rely on the corridor. Thousands of workers had to negotiate congested rural roads every day, while heavy trucks and commercial vehicles diverted through Bheemanakuppe and Ramohalli damaged village roads, water pipelines and other civic infrastructure.“It is a huge relief for all of us. Travelling to industries in the area had become a nightmare. During peak hours, it often took more than two hours to navigate narrow village roads packed with trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles. The opening of RUB will finally bring that ordeal to an end,” said Vijay Kumar M R, a quality control engineer, who frequently visits industries in the area.Railway officials said replacing the level crossing with an RUB would permanently eliminate traffic bottlenecks caused by passing trains while significantly improving road safety. The project is part of railways’ ongoing programme to eliminate level crossings and replace them with grade separators to improve both rail and road safety.
