Mumbai, Nov. 6 -- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has implemented road-safety improvement measures at Byatarayanapura and Kodigehalli, two high-risk junctions on NH-44 in northern Bengaluru. The highway connects the city with Kempegowda International Airport, making the junctions important points on the airport road.
The initiative is intended to reduce road accidents, prevent deaths and provide safer road infrastructure for pedestrians and other road users. NHAI said the interventions include pedestrian-safety improvements on Ballari Road, also known as Airport Road, at locations where recurring risks have been identified.
Byatarayanapura and Kodigehalli were identified as road-accident blackspots in the Bengaluru Traffic Police Road Safety Report for 2019-2023. The report recorded 11 deaths at Byatarayanapura and six at Kodigehalli during the five-year period. Pedestrians accounted for about 30 per cent of these deaths, highlighting the vulnerability of people travelling along or crossing the highway.
The fatality figures have placed the two junctions among the priority locations requiring safety intervention. The measures at both sites are focused on making the road infrastructure safer for pedestrians while also improving conditions for other road users who use the airport highway. NHAI has described the work as part of its effort to address recurring accident risks in northern Bengaluru.
Statewide data also shows the scale of the road-safety challenge. Karnataka recorded 4,278 deaths on national highways in 2024, while Bengaluru reported 793 road fatalities during the year, including 140 on national highways. Against this background, the work at Byatarayanapura and Kodigehalli is intended to reduce fatalities at two locations where deaths have been recorded repeatedly.
The intervention covers two junctions that serve traffic moving towards the airport and other parts of the city. By addressing pedestrian safety and wider road-use risks at these sites, NHAI aims to prevent further loss of life and provide safer movement on this important Bengaluru corridor.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.