Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway: Five months, 570 accidents and 55 fatalities

The newly constructed Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway is turning out to be fatal for commuters with 55 people losing their lives in accidents on the expressway in the past five-months.

The accidents and deaths are mainly attributed to over-speeding and negligence on the part of vehicle drivers, according to a report in Star of Mysore. A stretch of 55 km out of the 118 km expressway comes under Mandya district. Though motorists are happy that the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru has been slashed drastically with the construction of the expressway, serious concern has been raised over the high number of accidents taking place on it.

Also read: How Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway is changing travel in South India

Sources said 570 accidents have been reported from January till May this year, in which 55 people were killed and 52 people were seriously injured, while 279 persons sustained minor injuries and 184 suffered fractures.

With Mysuru being the fastest growing city after the state capital Bengaluru, the government built the expressway at a cost of a whopping Rs 9,000 crore. However, unscientific construction and incorrect alignment at some stretches of the expressway has resulted in fatal accidents. Also, rash and negligent driving by motorists too has been a major contributor to the high number of accidents.

Prior to it, the expressway had witnessed a number of accidents last year too, as the NHAI authorities had allowed vehicles to ply between Bengaluru and Mandya as the remaining stretch was yet to be completed. As per reports, 77 accidents were reported from July to December 2022, in which 28 persons lost their lives while 67 others were injured.