Hyderabad’s iconic flyovers set for major facelift and strengthening works

Three ageing flyovers in Hyderabad - Lalapet, Bharat Nagar and Fatehnagar - are set for repairs, strengthening and aesthetic improvements. Civic authorities have identified structural issues and proposed restoration works to improve commuter safety, connectivity and the overall condition of the structures

Hyderabad: Three-decade-old iconic flyovers of Hyderabad are all set to get a facelift, with works being taken up to improve their condition and enhance their visual aesthetics.

The project is aimed at upgrading three structures – Lalapet flyover, Bharat Nagar flyover and Fatehnagar flyover – which have been in use for decades and continue to serve scores of commuters every day. These flyovers were built by the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH).

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After the recent trifurcation of the GHMC, each of the three flyovers came under the jurisdiction of newly carved-out civic bodies. While Bharat Nagar flyover comes under the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), Lalapet flyover is with the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation and Fatehnagar flyover is within the GHMC’s jurisdiction.

“Engineering officials from the three civic bodies studied the flyovers in their respective jurisdictions and observed the need to work on their structural strength. Certain cracks were found and the footpaths are nearly damaged and look flaky,” a senior CMC engineering official told ‘Telangana Today’.

In some instances, concrete pieces were found to have loosened beneath the structures, and the railings had been impacted. “It was decided to provide a facelift and ensure structural strength,” said a senior GHMC engineer.

Three flyovers at a glance:

Lalapet RoB:

The Lalapet RoB was built to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic between Tarnaka and the Lalapet and Moula Ali areas. It has a high movement of heavy vehicle traffic, and the GHMC took up repair and restoration work in August 2019.

An estimate of Rs 8.50 crore was approved for further repairs and restoration. The proposed works include changing damaged bearings, fixing expansion joints, repairing damaged portions of a few girders, elevation corrections, laying of a CC wearing coat, new expansion joints and strengthening of beams.

The facility provides smooth commuting for those travelling from Sainikpuri, ECIL X Roads and Moula Ali towards Tarnaka, Habsiguda and Nacharam, along with commuters coming from ECIL, Moula Ali, AS Rao Nagar and Sainikpuri.

Bharat Nagar (RoB):

Built in the 1990s close to Bharat Nagar Railway Station, the RoB links important areas such as Erragadda, ESI, Moosapet and Kukatpally and vice versa.

The CMC has issued a Request for Proposal to engage a consultancy for assessing the structural stability of the Bharat Nagar RoB after deterioration was observed on the deck surface and the protective railings.

This bi-directional facility supports smooth connectivity between the city’s north-west and central-western corridors and the IT Corridor.

Fatehnagar Flyover:

The Fatehnagar-Balkampet bi-directional flyover serves as an important route towards Ameerpet, Begumpet and Yousufguda from Balanagar and nearby localities. However, commuters have been facing heavy traffic congestion, which becomes severe during the monsoon.

The GHMC plans to repair and widen the flyover with a new parallel bridge to ease congestion. A proposal to take up repair and restoration works was prepared, with plans to widen it to four lanes from the present two at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore. During the previous BRS government, former MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for the construction of a RuB and a flyover in Fatehnagar in July 2020.

The new bridge, once completed, will serve traffic from Fatehnagar towards Balkampet, while traffic in the opposite direction will continue to use the existing one.