Traffic chaos looms in Guntur as flyover work rushed without alternative roads
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Guntur: The rushed attempt to launch construction of a new four-lane flyover at Sankar Vilas Centre could trigger severe traffic disruptions, with alternative diversion roads still incomplete.
Union minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar had asked authorities to begin flyover works within a fortnight, following an ₹98 crore grant under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) nearly eight months ago.
Despite the roads and buildings department finalising designs by January 2025, delays in asset acquisition and marking by the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) stalled the project. Although the GMC fast-tracked land handover, legal disputes over compensation pushed the plan into limbo.
Nearly 50 property owners moved court demanding cash payouts under the new Land Acquisition Act, rejecting the civic body's offer of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds.
Surprisingly, the GMC had failed to fully utilize the time to complete the development of alternative roads. The lack of coordination between the town planning and engineering wings in GMC has delayed the road development works.
In fact, the newly developed road under the three-bridges junction was flooded with a simple rain last month leaving the civic authorities stumped.
This road is important exit road for the commuters from Guntur west constituency to reach Vijayawada highway. The railway authorities closed down the passage near three-bridges junction for about four months for construction of additional railway track. The ruling TDP legislators opened the newly constructed road and drain claiming that they brought the decades long trouble of flooding of the road to an end.
Within two weeks of its launch the traffic was completely stalled following a 30-minute rain leaving the legislators and officials shocked.
"The problem at Donka Road (three-bridges junction) needed to be rectified before launching of Sankar vilas flyover work. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to handle the traffic in the city," said Guntur East legislator Mohammed Naseer.
The GMC has been working on replacement of pipelines near Sarada Colony-Nehru Nagar road for the past several months. It was another exit road to reduce the traffic congestion in the city. Ironically, the GMC failed to exert pressure on the railway authorities to complete the Reddypalem-New Guntur railway station road to divert the freight vehicles without entering the city. The entry of container cargo vehicles into Sitaram Nagar road to reach New Guntur railway station is already crippling the traffic in the city.
The city will be left with Pattabhipiram-Hindu college road and IRR to manage the massive traffic that moves between Guntur-Vijayawada.
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