VIJAYAWADA: Aimed at easing traffic congestion in the city, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has readied a detailed project report (DPR) for executing corridor improvement plan at a cost of Rs 200 crore for a length of 39 km covering MG Road, Eluru Road, Samba Murthy Road and BRTS Road.
VMC Commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh told The New Indian Express that in the past few years, the city has seen a significant rise in the number of vehicles plying on roads, but the existing road infrastructure is proving inefficient, especially in the peak hours, due to frequent traffic congestions.
Taking a serious note of the issue, the civic body has developed 19 alternative roads to ease the traffic congestion. Besides, the civic body with the support of police department has taken a slew of measures such as diverting the traffic from MG Road and Eluru Road to the alternative roads, he said.
Disclosing the project details, the civic chief said that for a city like Vijayawada, there is an urgent need to restore the existing footpaths, which have been encroached by commercial establishments.
L&T Company was appointed the consultant agency and a ground-level study has been conducted considering the geographical conditions before finalising their designs for developing walking tracks, bicycle lanes, disabled-friendly footpaths, bollards, pavers, improvement of road and traffic junctions and greenery on these four roads, he said.
“We have sent the DPR to Police Commissioner Bathini Sreenivasulu seeking his opinion on the proposed project on the four roads. Once after getting the approvals, tenders will be invited and the firm, which bags the tender, has to complete it in nine months,” the VMC chief said.
When asked whether VMC is self-sustained to execute the project, Venkatesh said, “A proposal will be sent to the state government seeking financial assistance. We may also avail loans from banks for materialising the project.”