Hyderabad: Shaikpet flyover unlikely to meet May deadline
Works likely to be delayed by six months, say officials
Shaikpet: The Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) construction works were taken up on a priority basis, taking advantage of the Covid-19 lockdown. Despite expediting them, the flyover may not meet the deadline of May.
The major six-lane Shaikpet flyover, is estimated to cost over Rs 330 crore. Officials have completed 70 per cent of works. The remaining works are facing hurdles, as the area is once teeming with heavy traffic. The flyover is likely to be delayed by six months, say officials. The six-lane two-way flyover was proposed in 2017, and the works commenced in April 2018.
The junctions at Filmnagar, Shaikpet and Whisper valley are the major ones which witness heavy traffic. Also, there are several structures and establishments on either side of the road. The busy Old Mumbai Highway is a major link road to Cyberabad, Hi-Tec City and IT Corridor. Techies who commute through these junction experience extreme traffic, especially during peak office hours.
Explaining the delay in the construction, D Bhardwaj, Deputy Engineer, GHMC Kondapur, said: "Considering the issue of techies travelling to Cyberabad through Old Mumbai Highway crossing traffic prone junctions, such as 7 Tombs Junction, Filmnagar Junction, OU Colony Junction and Whisper Valley Junction, GHMC is constructing a six-lane two-way flyover 2.8 km long criss-crossing all these flyovers at an estimated budget of Rs 333.55 crore. The project commenced in April 2018.
Due to traffic congestion and delay in securing permission from traffic department, works are in a slow phase. We shall try to finish the project this year, but it might be delayed by six months."
The flyover starts from Tolichowki and ends at Malkam Cheruvu in Kajaguda. It is said to be a kind of express highway, where commuters from Mehdipatnam to Express Highway can reduce travel time by five to ten minutes as five-seven km distance comes down to three km. Apart from easing traffic movement in the IT corridor, the flyover will also serve commuters travelling from Mehdipatnam.