Four flyovers to dot Vizag, ease traffic bottlenecks

Visakhapatnam: Not one or two, but four flyovers are going to dot the national highway within the radius of 40-km.

With an objective to reduce traffic congestion in the city to a considerable extent, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) proposed to facilitate these flyovers.

Car shed near PM Palem, Hanumanthawaka, Maddilapalem/Satyam junction and old Gajuwaka are the places identified by the municipal corporation for the proposed flyovers.

As many commute to different parts of the city passing through these junctions, the GVMC has identified them for the construction of the flyovers. The construction of flyovers in such busy junctions will not only ease the traffic bottlenecks in the city but also help add value to the brand image of Visakhapatnam which is all set to become the executive capital of the State.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy brought the issue of traffic to the fore during the three-capital proposal. Keeping this in view, the GVMC proposed to construct flyovers along the national highway.

Prime junctions stretching between Madhurawada and Gajuwaka that fall under the ambit of GVMC have been identified.

GVMC officials are planning to build four flyovers within a stretch of 40-km on the National Highway.

According to the GVMC officials, tenders have already been invited for a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the flyovers.

The number of vehicles in the district has already crossed 13 lakh and the count is expected to increase further in the coming months.

Since road widening is comparatively costlier, the authorities concerned are planning to streamline the traffic by facilitating flyovers.

Parallel to this, a light metro rail project will also be developed in the city which will further ease the traffic congestion.

Elaborating about the progress of the proposal, GVMC Chief Engineer M Venkateswara Rao says, "District Collector's approval for the preparation of the DPR is awaited. He said four companies have come forward to prepare the DPR. The agency will conduct a survey at major junctions and prepare estimates. The proposed flyovers, initiated by Municipal Commissioner G Srijana, intend to resolve the traffic woes at large."

Once the approval from the District Collector gets cleared, work to prepare the DPR will commence.