Vijayawada: Sitara Junction, which has now become the entry point into the city for the traffic on NH-65 after the closure of Durga Ghat Road for the flyover construction, is turning out to be a bottleneck. The clumsy alignment of the roundabout is obstructing the smooth flow of traffic causing occasional jams.
The misaligned roundabout at the four road convergence point of four roads is creating confusion to the commuters leading to accidents. To avoid this, police have divided the bypass road into half with temporary barricades to divert the heavy vehicles on to the Kabela Road.
The barricading only solved half the problem as it has become difficult for the two-wheelers and other light vehicles coming from Kummaripalem Road and Tunnel Road.
The traffic police are of the view that the junction needs to be readjusted so as to enhance the carriage way. DCP (traffic) T.K. Rana said that they have already approached the municipal authorities to correct the engineering defects at the roundabout. He said the barricading is only a temporary solution and permanent realignment of the roundabout is necessary to ensure the smooth flow of traffic from all sides.
As the city is going to witness huge inflow of traffic during Vijaya Dasami, police is pressing for immediate completion of the works.
When contacted, VMC executive engineer G.R.T. Om Prakash said the proposal for the expansion of the roundabout road is under consideration. He said there are some technical issues as some land has to be acquired.
He doubted that it may not be possible to complete the work before Vijaya Dasami as the land acquisition process takes time.
