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Hyderabad’s Indira Park-VST steel flyover is open — motorists complain of a bone-rattling ride

The flyover will facilitate signal-free movement of traffic from Indira Park to Vidyanagar and will help motorists skip four junctions.

Ajay Tomar

Published Aug 19, 2023 | 7:06 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 19, 2023 | 10:02 PM

Rumble strips continue to uproar citizens as new Indira Park-VST steel flyover inaugurated in Hyderabad

The steel-built flyover from Indira Park to VST Square. (Supplied)

The bone-rattling ride on the NNR steel flyover at Musheerabad in Hyderabad has left motorists fuming.

Several netizens vented their anger on social media and posted pictures of the rumble strips on the flyover from Indira Park to VST Square. The flyover was inaugurated on Saturday, 19 August.

Municipal Administration & Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao — popularly known as KTR — had in May directed officials to stop laying the rumble strips and to repair those already laid and were over five millimetres in thickness. However, despite the minister’s instruction, the flyover still has rumble strips.

The 2.26-km flyover has been named after Telangana’s first home minister and the MLA of erstwhile Musheerabad, Nayini Narsimha Reddy.

KTR said the NNR flyover was the first project under the State Rural Development Plan (SRDP).

Also read: ‘If citizens don’t want Sankey flyover, the MLA too doesn’t want it’

Steel flyover in Hyderabad

The flyover would facilitate signal-free movement of vehicular traffic from Indira Park to Vidyanagar, and it would skip at least four junctions — NTR Stadium Junction, Ashok Nagar Junction, RTC X Roads Junction, and VST Junction.

It is envisaged to reduce the travel time by 20 to 25 minutes. The earlier 30 to 40 minutes travel from Lower Tank Bund to VST is expected to be slashed to five-10 minutes. Travel time to Osmania University and Hindi Maha Vidyalaya is also expected to come down with the opening of the flyover.

The flyover with 16.61-m wide lanes was constructed at a cost of ₹450 crore. As many as 81 pillars support the 2.436-km elevated corridor.

“The entire flyover is made of steel. For the first time, a flyover was undertaken from the top of the metro bridge. This is the 20th flyover built by Telangana. It will be a permanent solution to the decades-old traffic problem from Indira Park to Vidyanagar,” KTR said.

He added that the state government is developing the Tank Bund area as a tourist spot meeting international standards.

Also read: AIMIM leader among 4 held for murder of rowdy-sheeter

Rumble strips major concern

The laying of rumble strips began in 2019 after an increase in accidents on Hyderabad’s flyovers. The government had constituted a four-member committee to find a solution to the frequent accidents.

However, a few months ago, it was decided to remove the rumble strips after motorists complained of back-breaking rides.

“Officials could have also reduced the thickness of these strips from 15 millimetres to 5 millimetres. But instead, they are creating more strips. How insensitive is this? The jerks these strips give a two-wheeler rider are the worst. It is equally bad for the cars and other vehicles since they harm the suspension,” Jibran Ahmed, a motorist and resident of Shaikhpet, told South First.

Several citizens and activists took to social media, expressing disappointment over the rumble strips on the Indira Park-VST Square flyover.

“It’s very disappointing to see minister’s request has been ignored. Apparently all the commuters across the city facing difficulties with these rumble strips. Many accidents are happening every day due to them. GHMC and concerned authority has to take this seriously and at least stop building them on the newly constructed roads and flyovers,” Hyderabad-based civic activist Harish Daga told South First.

In the past, citizens have appealed to the GHMC as well as KTR on social media to remove the rumble strips. Many even said only highways required such strips.

 

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