If you are a commuter on HAL Airport Road, an excessive amount of dust, persistent honking, and traffic snarls will greet you at the Wind Tunnel Junction, as underpass construction work has narrowed the stretch.

On either side, traffic persists for at least 400 to 500 metres and can stretch up to 800 metres during peak hours. The situation is set to worsen as the civic body will soon begin extensive work. However, pedestrians are the most vulnerable, as there is little space for them to move around.

Under the new arrangement to facilitate civic works, the stretch towards Domlur has been reduced by half, and traffic from that stretch has been accommodated on the other carriageway towards Marathahalli, which means that the width of the latter stretch has also been reduced.

As the roads have narrowed, motorists have started using footpaths to navigate faster, putting pedestrians’ lives at risk. The footpaths are also not maintained well.

Anisha Shekar, a daily commuter on the road, pointed out that the footpaths are dug up, plagued with cables, and encroached upon by construction materials. “Pedestrians have to be extra careful while walking at the Wind Tunnel Junction as two-wheelers move relatively fast to avoid getting stuck at the signal,” she said. “It’s a junction where tragedy is waiting to happen,” she added.

Apart from these issues, if a pedestrian has to cross to the other side of the road, the person has to wait at least three to four minutes for the traffic to stop. Compounding the problem, there is no overpass near the junction.