HYDERABAD: The new 21st interchange on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) Mallampet entry and exit ramps was inaugurated on Thursday without any fanfare due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force. The new interchanges built by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) are part of retrofitting for providing access to the areas where new large-scale developments have come up based on demand. This will be the second interchange for motorists after the full-fledged inauguration of 158 km of ORR in 2016. The Narsingi entry and exit ramps were opened in July this year.
The Mallampet interchange, named Mallampet Shambipur, was constructed between Sultanpur and Dundigal interchanges at an estimated cost of Rs 45 crore in a diamond shape to help residents of nearby areas access the ORR to various parts of the city including Nizampet, Pragathi Nagar, Bachupally, Bolarum, Mallampet, Kazipally, Shambipur and Bowrampet. The interchange is 300 metres long and nine metres wide and is numbered as 4 (A).
Earlier, exit and entry to ORR was provided at 19 locations but later due to rapid urbanisation in the city outskirts leading to increased traffic intensity to manifolds, the State government took a decision to construct three additional exit entry facilities. More interchanges may be required to be developed in the near future. The 158-km-long ORR is planned within a 150-metre Right of Way (RoW) and with an eight-lane Access Controlled Expressway as Main Carriageway (MCW) with two-lane service roads on either side.