VIJAYAWADA: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed to construct a flyover on NH-16 at the Vijayawada International Airport (VIA) to ease traffic congestion and prevent mishaps. The proposed 1.4 km one side flyover intersects with the traffic entering and exiting the airport entrance at Gannavaram on Chennai-Kolkata highway.
An official team from the NHAI and the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department under the guidance of the District Road Safety Committee has conducted a feasibility study for the construction of the flyover at an accident prone zone on the NH-16. The survey has identified the Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences, Chinna Avutapalli, and the VIA, Gannavaram, as high risk zones.
To prevent mishaps on the high risk stretch, the Krishna district administration has submitted a proposal for constructing a flyover at the airport to the State government. After examining the proposal and flyover designs, the government has directed R&B Principal Secretary MT Krishna Babu to study the feasibility of executing the project.
It has been proposed to construct a one side flyover near the gate parallel to the side of the interior terminal building and NH-16,
NHAI project director DV Narayana told The New Indian Express, "Earlier, an over-the-top flyover was proposed, but the project did not materialise. We discussed the change in flyover designs with Airport Director G Madhusudana Rao after examining the present route leading to the terminal building. According to the airport authorities, if the flyover is constructed through the main entrance it may cause difficulty in landing for the heavy aircraft."
The flyover will cover both the existing airport entrance and also the upcoming main entrance near Kesarapalli. The airport compound wall needs to be relocated to pave the way for the construction of the flyover. Passengers from twin Godavari and North Andhra districts will arrive into the terminal from the first gate, while passengers from Vijayawada will arrive from the second gate. The traffic from Gannavaram will be diverted once the flyover becomes operational,’’ he said.