Visakhapatnam: Part of NAD flyover gets ready for road users

Visakhapatnam: The work pertaining to the prestigious project of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) Double Rotary Intersection (flyover) is picking up pace and is all set to be accessible for the road users soon.

NAD is one of the busiest junctions in the city which connects travellers from airport to the city, Araku Valley, Simhachalam Devasthanam and also the city roads. It is in the same area where the first-of-its-kind multi-level grade separator in Telugu speaking states is coming up.

Initiated on November 17, 2017 at a cost of Rs 113 crore, the construction of the double rotary intersection is likely to get completed in 18 months.

However, diversion of the traffic, sand scarcity, changes made in the initial designs of the project as suggested by NIT-Warangal followed by the delay in getting technical permission for the RoB (rail-over-bridge) are some of the reasons attributed to the delay in the progress of the project.

Followed by frequent review meetings, conducted by VMRDA Chairman Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao and Commissioner P Koteswara Rao, works pertaining to the NAD flyover gained pace.

Despite the delay in the progress, the upper rotary of the flyover, stretching from the airport to the NSTL route will soon be accessible for the commuters. "The traffic often gets blocked at the NAD junction because of the frequent movement of VVIPs and VIPs. Keeping this in view, we have stepped up our efforts to complete this part of the flyover. After trial runs, it will be kept open for the general public. Also, we are planning to complete the construction of the flyover by the year-end," elaborates Koteswara Rao. Currently, the upper rotary work from Gopalapatnam to NAD is in progress and it is scheduled to be wrapped up by August 15. Similarly, the upper rotary work towards Marripalem route will be readied by another two months and the stretch from the city to Gajuwaka will inch towards completion by November-end. The lower rotary work is likely to get readied by December 31.

As a part of the NAD flyover, a RoB has to be constructed. Once the technical permission is sought from the railway authorities for the same, the officials say that it will be built.

About 60,000 commuters are expected to use the flyover which is expected to be readied by the New Year. With no traffic signals and pedestrian bridges, the NAD flyover aims at easing the traffic bottlenecks and also enhancing the brand image of Visakhapatnam.