GHMC to facelift traffic junctions in Hyderabad

GHMC has decided to come up with quite a few innovative solutions for developing road junctions in the city.

Hyderabad: With a focus on streamlining the movement of vehicles and also ensuring the comfort and safety of pedestrians, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to come up with quite a few innovative solutions for developing road junctions in the city.

To start with, the civic body will take up 12 traffic junctions, two junctions each from the six zones, on an experimental basis to plan and develop them in a way to ensure smooth traffic flow and also to keep pedestrians safe from the risks of accidents. Based on the outcome of this project, plans will be made to cover all the major traffic junctions in a similar way.

To address the traffic issues emerging from the increasing number of vehicles in the city, the GHMC in recent years has taken up strengthening the road network with flyovers, underpasses, and road over/under bridges among others. Steps were also taken for junction development and improving the traffic signalling system apart from building foot over bridges for pedestrians in different parts of the city. For the senior citizens, some of these foot-over bridges have been equipped with lifts and in some instances, escalators.

To facilitate pedestrians comfortably crossing the roads and reaching commercial establishments, malls, and other facilities at key junctions, 22 foot-over bridges at a cost of Rs.77 crore have been planned. Seven of these have already been completed and opened for pedestrians, while work on the remaining projects was in different stages of completion, the GHMC said.

According to the civic body, the focus is on coming up with unique and innovative solutions in the development of basic infrastructure and ensuring more utility with lesser investment. In some places, gardening and amenities such as seating are being taken up near some traffic junctions.