Andhra Pradesh Government Plans to Control Traffic Congestion in Vijayawada City
The proposal to construct an eastern bypass that will transform into a ring road to control traffic congestion in Vijayawada city has generated widespread anticipation. Officials have already completed a detailed report, and the only step remaining is to initiate land acquisition. Plans are underway to invite tenders by March of next year for the project.
Consultancy firms have submitted three proposals to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which are reported to have been sent to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for approval. After the Chief Minister reviews the proposals, they will be forwarded to the central government, and NHAI is expected to invite tenders soon. There is a possibility that tenders will be called by December.
The firms that prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) have recommended the second proposal as the most suitable option.
Proposals Overview:
As part of the expansion of National Highway-16 (Chennai-Kolkata), a bypass road is being constructed for Vijayawada. This bypass will extend west of the Krishna River into the city. NH-16 will traverse through Benji Circle, Mahanadu Junction, and Ramavarappadu in Vijayawada city. Due to heavy traffic and a lack of service roads, accidents have significantly increased. To address this, the road expansion will involve constructing a bypass from Kaja across the Krishna River, passing through Gollapudi and Nunna, to reach Chinna Avutapalli.
During the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, it was proposed that constructing a bypass in the opposite direction would also be beneficial. The National Highways Authority of India also agreed to this suggestion, requesting that the entire land acquisition costs be borne by the state government. Subsequently, the government changed, and the KDM and Chaitanya Consultancy firms were tasked with preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the eastern bypass.
Recommendation for the Second Proposal
Consultancy firms have recommended the second proposal. All proposals start at Pottipadu and converge into NH-16 at Chinnakakani. They have suggested that constructing junctions at both locations will be feasible, and the second proposal allows for easier access to the western bypass.
Since it is located a bit farther from Vijayawada city, land acquisition costs are likely to be reduced. As the alignment comes closer to the city, land acquisition costs will increase.
With the alignment being distant from the airport, there are expected to be no objections from the Airport Authority. The distance of the bridge to be constructed over the Krishna River in the second proposal (3.355 km) is shorter than that in the first and third proposals.
Connecting to the port through NH-65 will be easier with this proposal, which involves the construction of only eight bridges compared to the first and third proposals. The construction of the road-over-bridge (ROB) can also be completed more easily.
Alignment Overview
The eastern bypass will span across two districts. In Krishna District, it will pass through Unguturu, Gannavaram, Kankipadu, and Penamaluru Mandals. In Guntur District, it will cross through Duggirala and Mangalagiri Mandals to reach Chinnakakani.
In Krishna District, the alignment crosses the Krishna River through Pottipadu, Atkuru, Peddavutapalli, Chinnavutapalli, Allapuram, Buddhavaram, Ajjampudi, Kesara Palli, Manten-1, Uppulur, Jagannathapuram, Manten-2, Punditapadu, Godavarru, Madduru, Gosal, and Wanukoor.
In Guntur District, land acquisition is required in the villages of Peddakonduru, Chinapalem, Shrungarapuram, Tummapudi, Chiluvaru, Chinnavadlapudi, Peddavadlapudi, and Chinnakakani.
The distance covered in Krishna District is 59.036%, while in Guntur District, it is 40.964%. Among the three proposals, the second proposal has an estimated cost of ₹4,596.29 crores higher.
