The construction of the Wind Tunnel Junction underpass in east Bengaluru, which has already missed at least five deadlines and became the site of protest against VIP culture by a man on Sunday, is likely to continue until January 2027, according to a source in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

Initially, the civic body had estimated four months to complete the project, but the revised deadline, following preliminary works, has been extended to seven months. The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) had asked the civic body to submit an undertaking specifying the deadline. Officials have requested 180 days, exclusive of the monsoon period of one month, meaning a possible extension of another 30 days, according to the source.

“We have completed the pipeline works and have started excavation to install magic boxes on one side of the stretch. Looking at it practically, we need seven more months, considering that we have only partial closure of the stretch for traffic and that the works are being carried out in phases,” the source said.

Meanwhile, M. Maheshwar Rao, GBA Chief Commissioner, has directed officials to deploy additional manpower to expedite the works. An engineer overseeing the project told The Hindu that while more manpower is being planned, heavy machinery such as excavators will also be deployed.

The official added that the movement of heavy vehicles through the junction has been restricted to prevent the congestion queue from extending further. Instead, heavy vehicles are being diverted at the Suranjan Das Junction, which is the only alternative route.

Stretch hit badly

The junction, however, has been severely affected by slow-moving traffic and long congestion queues, especially during peak hours. As a result, techies commuting from central Bengaluru, parts of the southeastern region, and northern parts of the city to the tech corridor are being forced to endure prolonged travel times.

A traffic police officer on the ground told The Hindu that they are witnessing vehicles hitting the road well before peak hours, suggesting that commuters are starting their journeys earlier to avoid getting stuck at the junction.

“One of the major problems is that there are more than two hospitals located on this stretch, resulting in regular ambulance movement. This means we have to prioritise one carriageway at those times, which sparks anger among commuters,” he said.

The traffic police admitted that there has been a visible increase in honking and frustration among commuters, compounded by a zero-traffic arrangement for VIP movement, which led to a man staging a protest in the middle of the road on Sunday.

Past delays

The erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) originally planned the ongoing project in 2014 and subsequently issued tenders.

The plan was to redevelop the 16.5-km HAL Airport Road stretch between ASC Junction and Hope Farm Junction at a cost of ₹135.25 crore. While works at the other two junctions were completed, the Wind Tunnel Junction project was delayed beyond multiple deadlines, and the civic body became serious about taking up the work only two years ago. However, the traffic police were not ready to grant permission for the project extension as they rejected proposals by the civic body six times.

“The volume of vehicles on this stretch has grown substantially over the past few years, and it is now one of the most congested high-density corridors. Moreover, the HAL Airport is operational and is used by VIPs, resulting in constant movement. That is why we had not granted permission earlier,” a senior traffic officer said.

However, the officer noted that the GBA had directed them to grant permission this time for the project’s completion. “The civic body had promised to complete the works within 120 days, and we will ask them to adhere to that deadline,” the officer said.