Kamaraj Road is going to open completely after 6 years, which will provide relief to these areas Bengaluru-News News

For thousands of commuters traveling to central Bengaluru every day, Kamaraj Road has long been the missing piece in the already stressful traffic puzzle. After closure of almost 6 years, the important main road is finally scheduled to fully reopen for vehicular movement in the first week of January 2026, providing long-awaited relief to motorists around some of the busiest junctions in the city.

Located in the heart of the city, Kamaraj Road connects major stretches near MG Road, Cubbon Road, Dickenson Road and Commercial Street. Its prolonged closure caused traffic to spill over into the already narrow parallel streets, increasing congestion in the central business district. With the civil work now complete, officials say traffic is likely to resume from January 2, subject to final clearance from the traffic police.

Long awaited re-opening for Central Bengaluru

The reopening is being widely seen as a New Year respite for daily commuters, office goers and shoppers visiting the MG Road and Brigade Road belts. While partial one-way movement was allowed earlier, motorists were waiting for full two-way access to resume.

According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited officials, the entire stretch between Cubbon Road and Kamdhenu Emporium Junction on MG Road will be opened for traffic in early January. Once operational, it is expected to significantly decongest the nearby corridors, which have been bearing the burden of diverted traffic for years.

Why was Kamaraj Road closed for so long?

Kamaraj Road was closed in June 2019 to facilitate the construction of the underground MG Road station for the Pink Line of the Namma Metro. At the time, officials anticipated the closure would be temporary, with reopening expected by 2023.

However, several factors delayed the project. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed construction activity for an extended period. Technical challenges related to tunneling work, underground utility replacement and station construction pushed back the timeline. The movement of heavy machinery and safety concerns meant that it was not possible to reopen the road earlier.

In February 2025, authorities allowed partial reopening of the stretch, allowing traffic from Kamdhenu Emporium Junction towards Commercial Street. The remaining section, near Cubbon Road, remained closed as work related to the station continued.

reconstruction and road quality

With the metro construction now complete, the road has been completely rebuilt. Officials confirmed that the stretch has been covered with white paint, a surface known for its durability and smoother ride than traditional asphalt roads.

BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer BL Yashwant Chavan said the civil work has been completed and only the final work is left. He said that the road will be opened as soon as the traffic police gives approval. The cost of reconstruction is estimated to be around Rs 3 crore.

What changes to traffic flow

Traffic police officials are hopeful that two-way movement will be allowed from January 2. Once opened, Kamaraj Road will provide a direct and smooth route for vehicles traveling between Commercial Street, Dickenson Road and Cubbon Road towards MG Road and Brigade Road.

This is likely to reduce travel time, reduce pressure on parallel roads and improve overall traffic distribution in the central business district. Regular travelers say that even a slight reduction in congestion here can affect nearby junctions.

Symbol of metro-induced disruption and recovery

For many Bengaluruans, the reopening of Kamaraj Road is also symbolic. This reflects the disruption that large infrastructure projects like the Metro can cause at street level, and calls for patience from commuters while such projects take shape.

As Bengaluru expands its metro network, the focus has now shifted to how quickly normalcy is restored at the surface-level once the underground work is completed. For now, the return of Kamaraj Road is a small but significant victory for the daily commute of Central Bengaluru.

As January approaches, commuters hope that this long-closed route will finally become just another road that they use without thinking twice – which is quite a win in a city like Bengaluru.