Bengaluru Traffic Alert: 12 Rain-Hit Hotspots to Avoid During Evening Rush Hour

Rain-hit rush hour: 12 Bengaluru traffic hotspots to avoid during this evening’s showers Intermittent showers, waterlogged underpasses and choked tech corridors are expected to slow Bengaluru’s peak-hour commute, with police flagging multiple vulnerable stretches and urging commuters to plan routes, start early and track advisories before heading out.

Bengaluru commuters are bracing for another rain-hit evening as light to moderate showers, with localised heavy spells, are forecast over the city and surrounding districts, raising the risk of waterlogging and long traffic snarls on key corridors during peak hours, especially along tech and airport routes.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) and civic agencies have identified more than 180 vulnerable waterlogging points, many clustered along Outer Ring Road, Mahadevapura’s tech belt and northern approaches to Hebbal, and have asked commuters to avoid low-lying underpasses, follow diversions and use public transport wherever possible during heavy rain.

Bengaluru rain traffic hotspots: 12 worst choke points tonight

Among the city’s worst repeat choke points during rain are the Tin Factory–KR Puram stretch, Central Silk Board junction and adjoining Electronics City flyover, ORR around Bellandur and Ecospace, Hebbal flyover and the road below, Nagawara–Hebbal ORR, Manyata Tech Park–Veerannapalya loops, Panathur and Doddanekkundi underpasses, Varthur Kodi, Whitefield–ITPL Road, Mysuru Road–Nayandahalli, Hosur Road–Madiwala and the Majestic–KR Market core.

BTP has repeatedly warned that several of these locations see knee-deep water after short cloudbursts, forcing underpass closures and flyover ramps to be barricaded for hours; in one recent advisory, officers alerted: “Slow moving traffic at below mentioned due to water logging… commuters kindly note,” while flagging ORR and Hebbal approaches.

Bengaluru commute rain impact and IMD forecast

The Regional Meteorological Centre has warned that heavy rain or thundershowers, with gusty winds of 30–40 kmph at isolated locations, are likely in Bengaluru Urban and Rural, which can quickly overwhelm stormwater drains, particularly where desilting and remodelling work remains incomplete along tech corridors and older inner-city neighbourhoods.

Past spells have already shown how quickly conditions can deteriorate. Early morning rain this year left ORR at Marathahalli, Panathur Main Road, Varthur Kodi and several underpasses waterlogged, with traffic crawling for kilometres as pumps and earthmovers were rushed in to clear drains and stranded vehicles.

Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, who oversees Bengaluru development, visited flooded neighbourhoods after a recent spell and said, “If water has entered apartments and houses, let’s rectify it. We want the ground water levels to increase,” while acknowledging chronic drainage and planning gaps across many layouts.

Bengaluru rain traffic hotspots and safer alternate routes

Traffic police recommend that airport-bound travellers factor in at least an extra hour when rain coincides with peak traffic and, where feasible, consider the metro up to Baiyappanahalli or Majestic before shifting to cabs, instead of depending entirely on Hebbal-bound ORR, which frequently backs up from Nagawara after showers.

City agencies have reminded residents that rain distress can be reported round the clock to the BBMP control room on 1533, while traffic or emergency issues, including stranded vehicles in flooded underpasses, can be escalated to helpline 112 for integrated police, fire and ambulance response, alongside standard traffic and power grievance numbers.

With showers expected to continue through the evening, commuters heading towards tech belts, the airport or the central business district are being advised to track Bengaluru Traffic Police updates, avoid known waterlogging hotspots and, where possible, shift to metro, office shuttles or staggered timings to keep individual trips shorter and safer.