VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to construct service roads adjacent to the Benz Circle flyover in the city. It made it clear that the NHAI should construct service roads on the east and west sides of the flyover on Chennai-Kolkata national highway. The HC said the NHAI should construct the service roads measuring 7.5 km adjacent to the flyover and the construction of the roads should be completed within three months.
The HC set aside the plea of the petitioners seeking directions to the NHAI to construct an underpass at Fakruddin Junction. The construction of an underpass at a particular location is purely a technical issue and the NHAI will take a decision on it, the HC said. It observed that it is common that in major cities, motorists need to travel additional distance to take a U-turn to reach their destination.
The HC bench of Chief Justice Arup Kumar Goswami and Justice N Jayasurya passed these orders in a batch of petitions filed by the NHAI and some locals. The NHAI filed the petition challenging the single judge order asking it to construct a service road on the east side of the flyover based on a petition filed by locals and traders in 2019. Another petition was filed by the locals and traders in 2020 seeking orders to the NHAI to construct an underpass at Fakruddin Junction.