Metro rail: Roads identified for accommodating diverted traffic.

The Transport, Roads and Buildings (TR&B) Department has identified roads in Vijayawada which need to handle vehicular traffic to be diverted from the city for facilitating the metro rail and Benz Circle flyover works, and asked the officials concerned of TR&B Department, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the AP-Capital Region Development Authority (AP-CRDA) to come up with the respective plans of action.

TR&B Principal Secretary Sumita Dawra recently held detailed discussions on the diversion of heavy loaded vehicles on Chennai-Kolkata and Kolkata-Hyderabad highways and some internal roads. According to official sources, 11 R&B roads (10 in Krishna district and one in Guntur) have been identified for widening and strengthening and reconstruction of weak and narrow bridges to receive the diverted traffic. These works are estimated to cost ₹ 145 crore.

The TR&B Department has suggested to the NHAI to complete the Kankipadu bypass (on NH-65), Chinavutapalli-Gollapudi and Kathipudi-Ongole highway works at the earliest to accommodate the additional traffic.

The CRDA has been asked to provide lighting on the Inner Ring Road, Nunna-Pipula Road and New Auto Nagar 100 feet road between Tadigadapa and Nidamanuru and Kandrika Junction as a safety measure for the free flow of traffic. The Engineer-in-Chief of the TR&B Department has been instructed to conduct joint inspections of the above alternative routes with the police to confirm their condition and requirements to be met.

In a meeting on the diversions, District Collector discussed the plan of action on diverting the traffic from the two metro corridors: Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to Penamaluru and PNBS-Nidamanur corridors.

The total distance is about 26 km where 25 elevated stations will be constructed. Vehicles, particularly HCVs, coming from Hyderabad, Guntur, Eluru and Machilipatnam have to be diverted to clear the way for the metro railway. Joint Collector G. Chandrudu, Municipal Commissioner G. Veerapandian and others were present.

In a meeting on the requisite diversions recently, District Collector discussed the plan of action on diverting the traffic from the two metro corridors: Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to Penamaluru and PNBS-Nidamanur corridors.

The total distance is about 26 km where 25 elevated stations will be constructed. Vehicles, particularly HCVs, coming from Hyderabad, Guntur, Eluru and Machilipatnam have to be diverted to clear the way for the metro railway. Joint Collector G. Chandrudu, Municipal Commissioner G. Veerapandian and others were present.

THE HINDU