Tirupati: Works of Garuda Varadhi progressing at brisk pace

Tirupati: The works of Garuda Varadhi, the elevated corridor dedicated for pilgrim traffic in the temple city of Tirupati, is going on at a brisk pace.

With traffic congestion on the temple city roads that leads to the abode of Lord Venkateswara increasing, the Municipal Corporation in a joint venture with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and under the smart city initiative, took up the major project at a cost of `624 crore. Under the project, a flyover from Tiruchanoor road to Nandi circle, 3 km from Alipiri, would be constructed, catering to the needs of Tirumala-bound traffic to enter the city roads.

The works of the project began immediately after the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for various developments including the elevated corridor on March 5, just before the poll code kicked in city.

The elevated corridor actually originates from the agriculture market yard, situated near Puthalapattu-Naidupeta national highway on the outskirts of the temple city and ends at Nandi circle near Kapilateertham, situated on the Alipiri-Tirumala bypass. With the connectivity to the hill shrine, the elevated corridor will facilitate pilgrim vehicles coming from various destinations to reach Alipiri directly, avoiding the city traffic. In addition, the corridor will also facilitate the citizens of Tirupati for hassle-free movement on the inner roads of the city.

Meanwhile, it was observed that works for the construction of pillars for the elevated corridor is in full swing on the stretch from market yard to Ramanuja circle.  “The elevated corridor would be built with advanced engineering facilities like ‘clover leaf underpass’ and also ‘two-level corridor’ and a single arm approach road at important junctions in the city. While the clover leaf underpass will come  up near Central bus station to facilitate RTC buses, the two-level corridor will come up at Leela Mahal junction on Tirumala bypass road, for the vehicles coming and going from the city,” said, a senior official associated with Tirupati Smart City Corporation.   

“Out of the total cost of the project, Rs 400 crore was earmarked for Garuda Varadhi and Rs 224 crore for the development of selected roads to a total length of 21-km in the city. TTD was also involved in the project to ensure smooth flow of funds for the completion of the project as per schedule. TTD will bear 65 per cent of the project cost, while the remaining will be spent by the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati and the project will be completed in two years,” the official said.