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Rant: Hyderabad's swarm of useless flyovers & horrible u-turn junctions

20th February 2023, 15:02 by Rahul Nagaraj

The stretch from Gacchibowli to Kondapur RTO via flyover doesn't see any traffic even in the peak hours.

BHPian Altrozed recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Didnt find any post specifically mentioning the swarm of new flyovers coming in Hyderabad, signals being closed and U-Turn junctions being set up on 2 lanes.

To all the ones driving on Hyderabad roads, hope you are enjoying the drive on the empty new flyover at Kondapur, the Kottaguda - AMB Mall Flyover.

This multi-entrance/exit flyover at Kottaguda Signal appears to be far from being useful.

After the flyover is opened, the U-Turn at the Le-Meridian building is now shifted closer to the Gacchibowli after the Shilpa Layout Exit.

As a result, drivers coming from Hi-tech City, Whitefields Kondapur are now reluctant to use the flyover and prefer the signalled route underneath.

The stretch from Gacchibowli to Kondapur RTO via flyover doesn't see any traffic even in the peak hours. There are hardly any cars or 2-wheelers going on this stretch.

Moving to the worst part, after descending the flyover at Kondapur RTO, there was a T-Jn Signal which is now closed. They made a small U-turn junction next to the signal.

Now, this is being 2 lanes on each side, and U-turn barriers occupied 1 complete lane, technically making a single-line road on both sides. All the vehicles pile up to the left side of the left lanes and thus forcing all bikers to go onto the footpaths or even bus stops.

Wonder why it causes this havoc just to make a signal-free stretch.

The Gacchibowli-Shilpalayout flyover is now choking the Raidurgam signal as everyone picks this flyover to enter the Raidurgam signal/Metro or end of the flyover to turn back to Le-Meridian - AMB MAll road.

Such mindless actions, not so useful flyovers built as part of the SRDP of the TS govt are now becoming a laughing stock.

Others can write about various new flyovers they encountered.

Be it, the Hi-Tech City flyover, Kaitallapur flyover or Sheikpet flyover which deserves a long rant here.

Here's what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:

Thank you for starting a thread on this. I had the displeasure of experiencing some of the worst traffic jams ever around the AMB Mall junction. I'm at a loss to explain how such a mess was created. Even after the flyover's completion and inauguration, the junction below is still terribly crowded, while the flyover remains empty as you said.
They closed the U-turn before the Shaikpet flyover which one could use to turn towards Khajaguda or back towards Biodiversity Park, which now leads to an inevitable pileup at the first U-turn under the flyover. If you're trying to get to road number 78 in Jubilee Hills, you now have this menace added along the way. Not to mention the barricades that are put up after nightfall which causes chaos even with a tiny amount of traffic on an otherwise empty and wide road.
Once you reach road number 82 and you want to turn right onto Jubilee Hills Check Post Road, too bad! You HAVE to turn left (the opposite direction) and go all the way to Road Number 45, take the U-turn under the Durgam Cheruvu elevated road and then go all the way back to the junction to finally head in the right direction after heading several kilometres away first.
If you want to head towards Biodiversity park on the Dallas Centre road when coming from Inorbit Mall road, too bad! You have to turn left and go all the way to the next junction to be able to take a U-turn and finally head in the right direction.
The worst thing is, what I said may not even be true anymore, since nearly every time I go somewhere, things have changed from the previous time, adding to the confusion. Using Google maps doesn't help either, since it's unaware of a lot of these diversions.
Then, the traffic lights were installed at Khajaguda and Nanakramguda Circles. They just cause pileups at the ORR exit ramps, causing you to have to slam on your brakes immediately after the curves since there is a mass of stationary traffic ahead!
After dark, I see insane chicanes made with barricades nearly everywhere and they manage to cause chaos with barely any traffic. And of course, no rant about Hyderabad's roads is enough with mentioning the rumble strips. Well, they've come a full circle now and just become speed breakers at this point. So, commuters can enjoy being rattled to death by hundreds of these on intercity drives!
Coming back to the U-turns in particular, the ones in Jubilee hills are sometimes made so narrow by barricades placed there that you have to take a three-point turn, while in other places, the barricades go so far out that traffic coming from the other side is forced into 1 lane from 3 or more!
I don't know what triggered this sudden spate of actions, but it seems like gone will be the days where you could enjoy the highest average speed in India (maybe they already are?). Link (Ola Insights: Average speed & traffic spots of the big Indian cities)

Here's what BHPian karthikg87 had to say on the matter:

I think most of the planning of Hyderabad roads is done at the whims and fancies of the powerful. A cycling track in a random country comes to a powerful person’s notice and voila we have a cycling track on the ORR.
There is no long-term approach to anything. Pedestrian paths are absent on all the roads. With our wide roads cycling can be encouraged for short commutes but it’s extremely unsafe. The less spoken about the U-turn the better. Metro without an eye on end-to-end connectivity is a flop with half a million ridership a day.
Hyderabad on average is the most polluted city in south India and nothing is being done about it.

Here's what BHPian thanixravindran had to say on the matter:

Leaving a picture taken last Saturday evening from 10 Downing Street, SLN Platinum. One can see how empty the flyover is and how choked the road is
Someone got the signal-free roads as a goal and just created a U-turn in the next 100 m after eliminating the signal and claimed they achieved their goals. At the Kondapur RTO office, they could have at least left the pedestrian signal working. It is now extremely dangerous to cross there.