Damaged stretch on ORR yet to be repaired.

More than two months after a portion of retaining wall of a road on Outer Ring Road (ORR) collapsed during heavy rains raising questions on the quality of construction, the stretch has turned riskier than ever.

For the commuters reaching high speeds between Shamshabad Airport and Patancheru on ORR, the width of one side of the road above Kokapet X Roads narrows down by 12 feet. Since a good portion of the road went missing after the wall supporting it had collapsed, the spot had been cordoned off for repairs.

The vehicles travelling on this stretch are greeted with safety cones and fencing.

“The road is in this condition from many days. This is an accident prone area and the drivers’ clock very high speeds.

At nights, we are worried that some vehicle will enter this area leading to a serious accident. The authorities should immediately repair the road,” said a local construction worker.

According to those who have driven on this road, the spot is very dangerous when it is raining or when the weather is windy. The commuters taking a down-ramp to go towards Kokapet too are not safe. The retaining wall is again being constructed and the construction materials have been dumped on one side of the road. To lay stronger foundation, large pit also has been dug, a few metres before the toll gate. According to the officials, the structure is being redesigned which might take few more days. However, they could not point out specific reasons behind the collapse.

Imam, In-charge Chief General Manager, HMDA said, “By this month end the repair works will be complete and road will be opened. Since it is the road contractor’s responsibility if there is any damage, the works are being undertaken by the contractor.

The work is progressing at a fast pace.”

THE HINDU