Shaikpet flyover to be open in December

The longest flyover being built under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) in the city at Shaikpet is expected to be completed and opened for traffic by the year end. Once completed, this flyover spread over 2.8 km, will be the second longest such facility in the city after PV Narasimha Rao Expressway. Works on the flyover is going on at a brisk pace.

Taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 333.55 crore under the State government’s ambitious SRDP project which aims to offer solutions to long pending traffic problems in the city, the flyover will be 2.8 km in length, and 24m in width and equipped with six lanes.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which is executing the project, looks at getting the flyover ready in next few months. “As on date, 90 per cent of the flyover works have been completed and by December, it will be ready for use,” said a GHMC official.

The flyover takes off at Tolichowki, near erstwhile Galaxy Theatre, and lands at Malkam Cheruvu while traversing through OU Colony, Shaikpet and Whisper Valley. These locations for long have been facing issues of vehicular movement with complaints of traffic snarls and increased the commuting time. While providing comfortable drive, the flyover



promises to ease traffic on the Mehdipatnam-Gachibowli stretch and also ensuring smooth flow of traffic towards the bustling IT corridor.

Another key aspect is that the project will help the commuters avoid the busy junctions on this stretch as it flies over Film Nagar junction, Seven Tombs junction, Whisper Valley junction and OU Colony junction. Traffic snarls are regularly witnessed at multiple locations for commuters heading to Gachibowli using the Shaikpet Road. “The traffic will be decongested at many locations including Shaikpet once the flyover is operational,” said a GHMC engineer.

The works have been moving at a brisk pace and of the 71 slabs, only six slabs are to be laid apart from taking care of illumination and installation of crash barriers. When the project commenced in 2018 there was a delay in construction due to issues of land acquisition. Meanwhile, the GHMC utilised the lockdown period last year and this year also, and was able to complete several works.

“We utilised the lockdown period efficiently. As there were hardly any traffic restrictions, works pertaining to foundations, pillars, slabs and pier caps were taken up,” said a GHMC official.