Vehicular traffic to be smooth with completion of Benz Circle flyover-2
The second phase project is likely to be completed by November/December this year
VIJAYAWADA: The traffic hassles on the national highway at Benz Circle in Vijayawada will end by next month with the completion of Benz Circle flyover-2.
Nearly a lakh of vehicles used to pass through Benz Circle and hence a flyover was constructed to ease traffic in part, after which the flyover-2 construction started and the works are now nearing completion.
The Benz Circle flyover was a two-phase project for expansion of National Highway-16 and NH-65. The flyover first phase was inaugurated on 16 October 2020. The second phase project is likely to be completed by November/December this year.
The flyover-1 was meant to be of help to the vehicular traffic coming from Kolkata-Visakhapatnam to pass through the city in a hassle-free manner and without stopping at Benz circle to move onto the Chennai and Hyderabad national highways. But the vehicles are still stopping at Benz Circle on their way to Visakhapatnam-Kolkata from Chennai and Hyderabad highways.
Traffic congestion was continuing on Mahatma Gandhi Road, popularly known as Bandar Road due to the stopping of vehicles at Benz Circle.
The Benz Circle flyover-2 construction was started with a budget of Rs 88.84 crore for a 2.5km length from Benz Circle to the Ramesh Hospital centre. The flyover-2 would help vehicles to go towards Kolkata-Visakhapatnam without stopping at Benz circle.
The Vijayawada police conducted a survey about vehicles passing through Benz Circle and found that nearly a lakh of vehicles pass through this spot per day.
The road from Ramavarappadu junction to Benz Circle is the connecting road to Eluru road and to Bandar road and a majority of VVIPs, VIPs and officials pass through this road to reach Vijayawada airport at Gannavaram.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, Leader of Opposition Chandrababu Naidu, state Governor, ministers and other dignitaries pass through Benz circle. The halting of traffic was frequent at Benz Circle for VVIPs travel. The completion of flyover-2 would resolve such hurdles.
Students, B Mohan and T Rajesh said a majority of famous educational institutions are situated on Bandar Road and stopping of vehicles including school/college buses for 15 minutes became mandatory at Benz Circle due to the present state of flyover-2. NH-16 traffic can be restrained at Benz Circle with the completion of flyover-2 and this would be help to all.
NHAI officials said the flyover-2 construction started in November 2020 was scheduled for completion in 18 months -- by May 2022. But due to the fast pace of work, the flyover-2 would be completed in a year.
The construction of slabs on the flyover is nearing completion and a trial run would be held in October last or November first week.