VISAKHAPATNAM: The NAD (Naval Armament Depot) junction flyover, which was uniquely designed as a ‘Rotary mode flyover’ to ensure seamless movement of traffic in one of the busiest crossroads of the city, is going to become a shopping zone too. Speaking to TNIE, The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority Commissioner P Koteswara Rao said the project was designed to ensure hassle free travel from all the four directions (NSTL, Marripalem, airport, Gopalapatnam) of the junction.
Once completed, pedestrians in the lower rotary of the flyover will feel like they are in the midst of a shopping mall, as the flyover is going to be uniquely beautified unlike other regular flyovers, he said. There will be a central island in the lower rotary of the flyover, where green landscape will be developed along with a fountain and smart looking footpaths, he added. The flyover will become one of the jewels of the city, he said.The six lane roads of the flyover will ensure hassle free travel of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light and heavy commercial vehicles, he said. Although the administrative sanction for the flyover was given on Sept 6 in 2017, the commissioner said the work had begun only by the end of 2018.
“The project which was originally scheduled to be completed by August last year was hindered due to lockdown and paucity of workforce. In July last year, traffic was allowed on all the four arms of the flyover, which are airport to NSTL, NSTL to airport, Gopalapatnam to Marripalem and Marripalem to Gopalapatnam. With the completion of the top layer of the bridge, works of the lower rotary of the bridge were also taken up which are nearing completion,” the commissioner explained.
With the railway authorities giving the clearance, an RoB (rail-over-bridge) will be constructed between the two existing RoBs of highway on the airport side, at a cost of `16 crore, he said. This will also be constructed by M/s. Vijay Nirman Constructions, which took up the construction of NAD flyover, he added.Referring to a couple of accidents on the flyover in the recent past, the commissioner said they occurred due to the heavy load of traffic on the upper rotary.