Hyderabad: The construction of additional entry and exit ramps on PVNR Expressway has been progressing at a brisk pace with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) aiming to complete the works by March-end.
According to HMDA officials, already 50 percent of the works on the ramps near the Royal Oak building have been completed and the works were taken up without affecting the traffic flow. The up ramp is being built to facilitate traffic flow from the Attapur end towards the city and the down ramp will ease traffic movement from the city towards the Attapur end.
Presently, there are three pairs of up and down ramps on the structure. Considering the demand from local residents and to provide access to local area’s traffic, HMDA has taken up the task of creating an additional set of ramps.
The up and down ramps will commence from Pillar No 156 and drop at Pillar No 166 near the Royal Oak Building on either side of the structure. They are being constructed to ease traffic congestion at Mehdipatnam and to facilitate additional entry and exit points on the expressway.
For a long, there have been issues of frequent traffic jams at Nanal Nagar and Rythu Bazar. Also, those coming from the Airport and heading towards Tolichowki and beyond have to take a ‘U’ turn after crossing Sarojini Devi Hospital. With the construction of the down ramp, motorists from the airport end and heading towards Tolichowki can take a left turn at the Nanal Nagar.
On the need for traffic regulation for executing the works, a senior official said the piers for the ramps are being constructed on the service roads and this will not require any traffic regulation.
The State government has already sanctioned Rs.36 crore for the project and Rs.17.63 crore is being spent on the civil works of the structure and the balance for utility shifting and other costs. There were huge water pipelines that had to be relocated and likewise high tension wires had to be laid underground as part of the works, the official explained.
“The plan is to complete the up ramp by January end and down the ramp by March-end. Going by the pace of works, we should achieve the target,” said the official. To expedite the construction of ramps, steel girders will be used in place of the conventional RCC girders.
Meanwhile, mild tension prevailed at Attapur after scaffolding at the worksite for up and down ramps construction on PVNR Expressway collapsed after being hit by a truck at 10 pm. HMDA officials claimed none was injured in the incident. The truck which was overload was heading to the city, lost balance, and hit the scaffolding near pillar no 160 of PVNR Expressway at Attapur, said an official.
