To ease traffic, Hyderabad development body to widen service roads parallel to ORR

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), has decided to widen the existing service roads from Nanakramguda to Telangana State Police Academy (TSPA), and Narsingi to Kollur, as well as to overlay a bitumen road from Gachibowli to Shamshabad, all at an estimated cost of Rs 302.21 crore.

The widening of service roads is expected to ease traffic around Nanakramguda, Narsingi, Kokapet, Kollur, Tellapur, Madhapur, Kismatpur, and TSPA, as massive developmental activities have been coming up in the area. Many commuters also take the narrow service roads of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to reach Hitech City, Madhapur, Financial District, Gachibowli and other areas, leading to constant traffic snarls. 

Widening the two-lane service roads from Nanakramguda to TSPA and Narsingi to Kollur (covering a total length of 48 km) into four-lane will cost an estimated Rs 234.18 crore. Overlaying a bitumen road from Gachibowli to Shamshabad (covering a total length of 24-25 km), will cost an estimated Rs 68.02 crore. The widening of the outer service road has been proposed with a 2x2 lane carriageway of 7.5 metres each, with a footpath of 2.5 metres towards the outer edge. There will be a central divider of one metre width, drains 2.5 metres



wide on either sides (one side with retaining wall), utility corridor 4 metres wide, etc.

The ORR is part of the IT corridor, mainly along the link road from Gachibowli to Narsingi, towards Shamshabad International Airport, Kollur, and Nanakramguda. This has resulted in many national and international IT and ITES offices, software companies, shopping complexes and residential apartments to come up close to the ORR.

As a result, many techies have made areas like Madhapur, Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, Kokapet, Narsingi, Kollur, and Tellapur into their homes, leading to a sudden increase in population density in these localities. The ORR main carriageway was laid with eight lanes. However, the service roads on both sides were built with two lanes. With the increase in population in the above areas, traffic congestion during the peak hours has become a routine occurrence, leading the HMDA to take the decision to widen the service roads at the earliest.

The HGCL has invited tenders for the projects, and once the agency is finalised, the work should be completed in a span of 15 months. The widening of the outer service road has been proposed with a 2x2 lane carriageway of 7.5 metres each.