Crossing I Cross, Magadi Road, is a big challenge.
People trying to cross I Cross, Magadi Road, face a big challenge. The reason: The foot overbridge is broken, forcing them onto a road with overspeeding vehicles.
The Observer found several pedestrians struggling to cross the road.
A young woman clutched the hand of her five-year-old son as she crossed the road, which has heavy traffic. A man tripped on his way to the other side as he avoided being hit by an overspeeding autorickshaw. A group of young women stood in the middle of the road waiting for traffic to slow down. One of them, quick and brave enough, crossed the road while vehicle speeded towards her..
Basavaraj, a government employee, informed The Observer while trying to cross the road: “This is my story every day. I have sometimes spent ten minutes just trying to cross this road. I don’t remember the last time I used this bridge; it’s been this way forever now.”
Savita, 36, a private school teacher, said: “I always walk from here to my son’s art class. Crossing the road with a toddler is very difficult and dangerous. This road is a traffic lane and there are heavy vehicles, like trucks, moving. I saw an accident a few days ago; this bridge has been broken for more than a year now. I don’t understand what the BBMP is doing.”
Shivaji R, 68, who visits the Angalaparara Maheshwari temple on the road, shared: “I come to this temple every day and have to cross this road. The divider is very tall and adds to the difficulty of crossing the road.”
The bridge has been in a bad condition for a long time now.
Vijaya M, who runs a snacks stall just below the overbridge, said: “The bridge has been this way for more than a year now. I see people struggling to cross the road from morning to night.”
Sadhana, who sells coconut water, concurred: “It is funny to see people tripping when they cross the road. But it is also very dangerous, I see at two to three small accidents every day.”
The Observer spoke with workers near the bridge. Sagar Gowda, the supervisor, said: “The work has been on and off for a year. Firstly, when we got the contract from BBMP to repair the bridge, the tender failed for some reason. It took a long time for the bill to pass. Now we are hopeful the work will be completed in a couple of months. We alternate between working here and a bridge in Chamarajpet. We work one month there and one month here.”
Magadi Road is not the only place that suffers an overbridge problem. The Times of India reported that the overbridge on Benson Road has been littered with garbage dumped on its sides. Another report in the paper said the bridge in Swaroop Nagar has a similar problem.
