Highway expansion work has been delayed

Vijayawada, January 18: The delay in the completion of the National Highway expansion in the city is causing hardship to people commuting between Krishnalanka and other parts of the city.

As part of the expansion work, a retaining wall has initially been raised between the Katta Road and the NH closing all the approach roads.

This has left the densely populated area disconnected with the city and one needs to travel a couple of kilometers to reach the M.G. Road even as they live close to it.

Currently, there is only one entry point to the Katta Road which extends up to two kilometers in length from Kanakadurga Varadhi to the Rajiv Gandhi Park.

The expansion work began almost seven months ago. Apart from the expansion, construction of a vehicle underpass connecting the area and the M.G. Road is part of the plan and the work is going on at a slow pace.

"As the approach roads were closed, we have been demanding three vehicle underpasses but it seems to have at least one is a distant dream considering the pace of work now", said G.N.V. Koteswara Rao, a resident of Gauthami Nagar of the area.

The work has been taken up by the Roads and Buildings Department and should have been completed before the Krishna Pushkarams. Even after four months of the event, a lot remains incomplete.

Speaking to media, Roads & Buildings Superintending Engineer (Quality Control) and in-charge of the project G. John Moses said 80 percent of the project had been completed.

"Most of the retaining wall work is done and only the final layer of blacktop road is to be laid. However, the vehicle underpass work is pending and it needs to be done in a phased manner. In the final stage, the traffic on NH should be diverted to M.G. Road and others", he said adding that the project would be completed in a month.