VIJAYAWADA: Even as the construction of the Vijayawada bypass road from NRI Hospital in Mangalagiri to Peda Avutapalli via Gollapudi is yet to begin, the locals, including public representatives, are persuading the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to construct another bypass from NRI Hospital to Peda Avutapalli via Kaza and Revendrapadu to connect it with the already sanctioned road and complete the outer ring road (ORR).
It may be recalled that the NHAI is planning to construct a bypass road from Mangalagiri on NH-16 (renumbered as NH-5) in such a way that it meets NH-65 (renumbered as NH-9) at Gollapudi and covers Nunna, Mustabad and meet the NH-16 at Peda Avutapalli. It is proposed to end at Gundagolanu in West Godavari district.
A new 3.4-km four-lane bridge will come up across river Krishna (upstream of Prakasam Barrage), near Venkatapalem village, in Guntur district, connecting Gollapudi on the outskirts of Vijayawada city.
However, Narasaraopet MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao stressed the need for constructing the Mangalagiri-Peda Avutapalli bypass via Kaza as Vijayawada is growing rapidly. He asked chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to take steps for the inclusion of this proposal in the National Highways Development Project phase-VII. The proposed road will connect traffic from Kolkata to all the southern states without touching Vijayawada and cuts the distance by about 50 km.
“Since there is a possibility that the new capital city of the state will be located between Vijayawada and Guntur cities, we need to have a bypass road to divert traffic on NH-16,” said Sivaji Nagalingam, a resident of Vijayawada.
It is said that the NHAI officials are also giving a serious thought to the bypass road that connects Mangalagiri, Kaza, Pedavadlapudi, Revendrapadu, Nutakki, Chodavaram, Budhavaram and Peda Avutapalli. If these two bypass roads that form a ring road are completed, traffic in Vijayawada city will be eased to the maximum extent.
According to the Police Department, ever day nearly 60,000 vehicles pass through the Benz Circle where the NH-16 and the NH-65 meet each other.