GUNTUR: The residents of Guntur are eagerly anticipating the construction of a long-overdue Road Over Bridge (ROBs) to alleviate the city’s persistent traffic problems.
According to the 2011 Census of India, Guntur’s population was over 6,00,000, but with the city’s expansion, it is expected to reach 9,50,000. The growth has led to significant increase in vehicles, now totalling 630,000.
The pending road extension projects, along with the construction of ROBs and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) at various locations, are further complicating the situation for commuters.
Officials from the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) engineering department have confirmed that six ROBs have been approved, including projects at Sankar Vilas (Rs 108 crore), Syamala Nagar (Rs 147 crore), Seetha Nagar (Rs 170 crore), MG Inner Ring Road Level Crossing (Rs 129 crore), Sanjeevaiah Nagar (Rs 120 crore), and Nehru Nagar (Rs 95 crore). The Sankar Vilas ROB, built in 1956, remains the only link between Guntur West and Guntur East. However, with the rising number of vehicles, the existing bridge is inadequate for smooth traffic flow. Despite proposals to widen the bridge being in the pipeline for over a decade, they have yet to materialise.
A Padmavathi, a resident of AT Agraharam, highlighted the issue, stating that trains bound for Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, and other major cities depart from Guntur station frequently, causing the Syamala Nagar railway crossing gate to close every 20-30 minutes. This leads to traffic jams that can extend for several meters, taking at least 20 minutes to clear. The situation worsens during peak hours from 8:00 am to 10:00 am and 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, when school buses and heavy vehicles congest the roads.
The Roads & Buildings (R&B) Department has recently submitted proposals under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Central Road and Infrastructure Funds (CRIF). The railway department has also sent Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the remaining ROBs to the Government of India for approval. With Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar showing keen interest in expediting these projects, citizens remain hopeful that construction will commence soon.