NELLORE: Surveys are being conducted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to construct flyovers and underpasses on National Highway-16 (Chennai-Kolkatta) in Nellore to minimise road accidents. According to the authorities, the flyovers/underpass will come up at Golgamudi junction, Chintareddypalem junction and at Bujabuja Nellore.
These three junctions are considered as entry/exit points of National Highway from the city. Chintareddypalem junction which is close to Children’s park in the city witnesses huge vehicular movements as majority of people use it to cross the National Highway on daily basis. Infact, Nellore Police had earlier announced Chintareddypalem as one of the blackspot in the district.
Stating that several trucks parked on the highway blocking the visibility of commuters, the authorities said that lack of proper view is the major cause for accidents. CPI(M) workers in the city also conducted a series of protest demanding construction of flyover/underpass at Chintareddypalem junction.NHAI has also planned to conduct survey for the construction of flyover at Golagamudi junction, where an engineering college and around ten thousand people of nearby areas, cross the highway at the junction.
Rajya Sabha Member Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy expressed concern over lack of flyover at Golagamudi junction on the national highway and urged for one when he met the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Chairman of NHAI Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on January, 2019.
According to estimates, 182.63Km of Chennai-Kolkatta highway that passes through Nellore district had witnessed at least three accidents a day. A total of 1,160 cases of road accidents were reported in the district during 2022 while it was 1,145 in 2021. Around 1,093 road accidents were registered during 2020 while it was 1,299 in 2019. 477 people were killed and 1,127 received injuries in various road accidents in 2020 while 539 people have lost their lives and 1,525 suffered injuries in 2019.“Government has been giving top priority for the safety of commuters. Survey for the construction are in progress and the construction would begin soon,” said a senior official.