Mysuru: Planning a weekend trip to Bengaluru or Mysuru? Think twice before hitting National Highway-275 (Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway), as hour-long delays at toll plazas are leaving thousands of commuters stranded  in traffic chaos.

Every weekend, the Highway sees a massive influx of vehicles, with Bengaluru residents travelling towards Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to relax at tourist destinations.

The surge begins on Friday evening, peaks through Saturday and worsens again on Sunday evenings as travellers return, often crawling through traffic till midnight.

The worst-hit points are the Sheshagirihalli (in Mandya) and Kaniminike toll plazas (two toll plazas near Bidadi), where massive snarls stretch for kilometres. A normally two-hour journey often turns into a painful crawl as vehicles inch forward in serpentine queues, especially on Sundays.

Though the Highway features seven toll gates, only four are currently operational, leading to long waits and widespread frustration. Many commuters have taken to social media platforms like ‘X’ to vent their anger, highlighting poor toll management and a lack of preparedness.

Despite its modern infrastructure, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has come under fire for failing to deploy adequate staff and systems to handle the weekend rush.

Travellers have called out the agency for poor planning and ineffective crowd control.

To make matters worse, NHAI increased toll charges in April this year, adding to the financial burden on weekend travellers. As per the revised rates:

From Bengaluru to Nidaghatta: Rs. 180 (one way), Rs. 270 (round trip within 24 hours).

From Nidaghatta to Mysuru: Rs. 175 (one way), Rs. 260 (round trip within 24 hours).

Total round-trip toll:  Rs. 530 within 24 hours.

Separate tariffs apply for light commercial vehicles, minibuses, trucks and buses.

With no relief in sight, commuters are demanding urgent intervention from NHAI.

Suggestions include: Better FASTag sensor systems, deployment of additional toll collection staff, opening all toll gates during peak hours and emergency contingency measures to ease congestion. With NH-275 being one of the busiest routes in the State, authorities are under mounting pressure to act swiftly and restore smooth vehicular movement.