NALGONDA: Dasara holiday traffic and ongoing flyover construction have caused severe congestion on National Highway 65, leaving commuters struggling on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada route.
A 22-km stretch from Andol Maisamma temple near Dandu Malkapur in Choutuppal mandal to Reddibavi village has become a major bottleneck. During peak hours, motorists take around 40 minutes to cross the stretch.
Traffic has been diverted onto service roads due to overbridge construction in Choutuppal and Chityala. Commuters said covering just 2 km in Choutuppal could take 20 minutes, while breakdowns on service roads often leave vehicles stranded for hours.
CH Nagesh Kumar, a Vijayawada resident who travels to Hyderabad regularly for business, said he had faced the problem for four months. Traffic also comes to a standstill for about 15 minutes near Chityala.
With Dasara falling on Tuesday and consecutive weekend holidays increasing travel, commuters fear longer delays in the coming days. Locals blamed the slow pace of flyover construction in Choutuppal, Chityala and Suryapet.
Despite R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy directing contractors to complete the Chityala flyover before Dasara, the work remains unfinished. Commuters questioned the failure to anticipate rising traffic and urged authorities to introduce alternative measures to ease congestion.
