GUNTUR: Commuters in Guntur can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the long-pending road widening works in the city are now progressing at a fast pace. For over half a decade, the citizens of Guntur have been dealing with pothole-ridden and damaged roads due to incomplete underground drainage (UGD) works. However, with elections just a few months away, the officials have taken up the responsibility of completing the major road widening works that have been delayed for the past few years.
Aiming to reduce traffic congestion in the city, the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has identified several major roads that are set to be widened, including the Nandi Velugu Road, which stretches from the NTR Circle near the RTC bus stand to the Venkateswara Swamy Temple. This 1.11 km stretch of road widening work has been pending for the past five years, causing inconvenience to the commuters.
Another crucial road that is being addressed is the Palakaluru road, starting from the Gujjanagundla junction. This road has suffered significant damage due to the incomplete UGD works. To tackle these issues, the officials have divided the works into two phases. In phase 1, the road between Ratnagiri Colony to the Old Railway line at Pedapalakaluru will be widened to 80 feet, with the inclusion of a central divider. Once this phase is completed, the second phase, covering the stretch from the Old Railway Line to the Urban Health Center, will be taken up. Additionally, the AT Agraharam Road, extending to 1.9 km, will also undergo widening to 80 feet.
Meanwhile, the officials have already completed the removal of encroachments and laid current poles and construction works of CC drainages. Along with these, the Kugler Hospital road in One Town is being widened up to 60 feet and Rama Nama Kshethram road up to 80 feet. Apart from this, MP Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy laid the foundation stone for the construction of R&B road in Ponnur Road with `1.60 crore and the works are going at a fast pace.