Bad roads are no longer news in Karnataka. It is a state of living. People may lose their lives due to accidents, industries may pull out of the state, and the economy may bleed due to lost man-hours, but there is no wake-up call for the administration.
Money, a lot of it, is spent on repairing and re-repairing roads. It is a work in progress, perpetually, be it Bengaluru or Belagavi.
In rural Karnataka, bad roads delay access to markets, hospitals and schools. Farmers struggle to transport perishable produce, resulting in economic losses. In urban pockets, traffic snarls worsen as vehicles crawl through damaged stretches, wasting fuel and time.
Civic groups and residents have held protests highlighting the risk to life and livelihood. A rising number of accidents are directly linked to potholes and poor maintenance of roads. Meanwhile, contractors, engineers and government authorities engage in blame games, citing heavy rainfall, overloaded vehicles and inadequate funds responsible for the miserable state of roads in various parts of the state.
Experts and social activists say the issue is not about lack of funds but accountability. Roads are often laid without proper drainage systems or quality checks, leading to quick deterioration. Here, The New Indian Express goes on a road trip across the state to present the (w)hole picture.
HASSAN
Except for national highways and state highways, most other roads are in a bad shape in Hassan district. Potholes have not been filled on roads that connect taluk centres from hobli headquarters, citing lack of funds. Roads connecting Belur-Arehalli, Sakleshpur-Hanbal, Arkalgud-Belawadi and Arasikere-Kanakatte are in bad shape.
MYSURU
It is Dasara time and civic agencies have accelerated road repair and resurfacing works across the city. Several stretches, including Sayyaji Rao Road, KR Circle, Palace Road and routes leading to Chamundi Hill, are being re-laid to ensure smooth traffic flow during the festivities. Motorists had earlier complained about pothole-ridden stretches that caused delays and safety hazards, particularly during the monsoon.
The Mysuru City Corporation has set aside Rs 9.48 crore for civil works to beautify the city, with nearly Rs 6 crore for road repairs, including filling potholes and repairing kerbstones. Works are being carried out, while last-minute repairs have drawn criticism for being superficial.
GADAG
Several roads in Gadag town’s extension areas are wet and muddy, leaving two-wheel riders and pedestrians jittery. Rural roads in Gadag taluk are in a pitiable condition due to rain in recent days. Main roads from Ron to Hullur and Arahunasi are in bad condition. Similar is the condition of roads from Lakshmeshwar to Gojanur, Mundargi rural areas, and in Shirahatti taluk.
KALABURAGI
The condition of roads in the Kalaburagi district including those in Kalaburagi city, is bad. The road in front of the Central Bus Stand is the worst example. Similar is the state of the road between SVP Circle and Sharanabasaveshwar temple. The condition of roads in Chittapur, Shahabad and Chincholi towns and taluks is also not good.
BELAGAVI
Roads in Belagavi continue to test public patience with stretches like Khanapur–Jamboti, Kankumbi–Chorla, and several city roads falling apart and demanding urgent intervention of the administration. The biggest shock comes from the Kankumbi-Chorla highway, developed barely three months ago, but already reduced to one of the worst roads in the district. Cracks, potholes and uneven surfaces have triggered daily accidents, vehicle breakdowns, and traffic snarls, drawing sharp criticism from locals who squarely blame contractors and negligent officials.
DAVANAGERE
Roads in Davanagere need to be relaid urgently. Hadadi road, Bamboo Bazar road, Belludi Galli, Chamrajpet, and the roads in both new and old city are in a pitiable state. Lack of interest by both bureaucrats and elected representatives to blacktop or patch up the bad roads is the reason for the miserable state of roads, says Anand Jain, a trader.
DAKSHINA KANNADA
Despite receiving over 4,000 mm of rainfall annually — more than three times that of Bengaluru — the quality of roads in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada remains no better than those in far drier regions like Chitradurga, which gets just 540 mm of rainfall, the lowest in Karnataka. This highlights a serious flaw in how road infrastructure is planned and executed across varying climatic zones in the state.
Roads in the coastal belt are battered not just by the intense monsoon -- lasting nearly six months -- but also by heavy vehicular traffic, particularly bullet tankers and massive container trucks transporting goods to and from the region’s key seaports.
Despite these conditions, road construction follows a uniform Schedule of Rates (SR) across the state, without accounting for region-specific weather and usage patterns. Assembly Speaker UT Khader objects to the practice of the same SR rate for roads in different climatic conditions. He urged the authorities to rationalise the SR to ensure more durable road infrastructure in high-stress zones like the coast.
National Highways NH-75 (Mangaluru–Bengaluru) and NH-66 (Kochi–Panvel), both crucial lifelines for the region, are in a deplorable state. A recent fatal accident caused by a pothole on NH-66 in Mangaluru triggered public outrage. Though the NHAI rushed to fill the potholes temporarily, the patchwork repairs barely addressed the underlying problem.
KOLAR, CHIKKABALLAPUR
In Kolar and Chikkaballapur, roads are in a bad shape. In several parts of the region, the state of state highways connecting important places has turned from bad to worse. Several people who regularly travel between Mulbagal and KGF are facing a tough time using the road to ride their bikes and drive four-wheelers. The state highway between KGF to Mulbagal, the road between Kolar and Business City Chinthamani need immediate attention.
UDUPI
A 350-metre stretch between Perampalli and Manipal has become a nightmare for motorists, with crater-sized potholes forcing vehicles to move at a snail’s pace. Though the 5 km Ambagilu–Manipal road was widened a few years ago, this stretch remains untouched owing to pending land acquisition, much to the ire of commuters. The condition has deteriorated in recent months, as heavy showers have stripped away the remaining asphalt. Manjunath, Assistant Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Udupi, said the delay in widening and repairing is due to pending land acquisition.
KODAGU
Roads across rural and urban areas, including the state and national highways, are in pitiable condition across Kodagu district. Madikeri-Virajpet road is in its worst state and has not seen any relief work for over two years now. Further, potholes are lined across National Highway 275 from Sampaje to Kushalnagar, and patchwork has been done as a temporary measure. All rural roads including Chettalli-Madikeri, Siddapura-Madikeri, Ammathi-Siddapura and Murnad-Madikeri, are in a pitiable condition and incessant rainfall during the past four months has made commuting risky on these curved roads, especially during night. Meanwhile, the Madikeri City Municipal Council is carrying out repairs across the worst stretches before Dasara.
VIJAYAPURA
Incessant rain for the last two months has damaged roads in Vijayapura city. Except for main roads that connect highways and concrete roads, all other stretches are riddled with potholes. Arati Shahapur, a corporator, says several potholes were filled recently, but the rain has pushed the roads back to the same shoddy status. JJ Bangi, another corporator, says that during monsoon, it is not possible to lay tar or concrete roads. Things may improve in October or November when the rain relents, he says.
Inputs from Firoz Rozindar, BR Udaya Kumar, KK Karthik, Raghottam Koppar, Ramakrishna Badaseshi, Prakash Samaga, Prajna BR, Tushar A Majukar, Subash Chandra, Vincent D’Souza, V Velayudham