Officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) are hopeful that work on the first stretch of the six-lane Vijayawada Western bypass between Chinna Avutapalli in Krishna district and Gollapudi in NTR district will be completed by the end of October.
Once completed, the NHAI project connecting Chinna Avutapalli and Gollapudi will provide an alternative route for Hyderabad and Chennai-bound travellers from Visakhapatnam as they can bypass Vijayawada, thereby avoiding traffic congestions in the city and cutting down travel time.
The bypass connects both NH-16 (Chennai-Kolkata) and NH-65 (Machilipatnam-Hyderabad) at Gollapudi and is divided into two stretches, the first between Chinna Avutapalli and Gollapudi, and the second between Gollapudi and Chinna Kakani.
The project exceeded its deadline multiple times due to non-clearance of high-tension power lines (HT) and pending court cases. However, officials have said that most cases, involving high-tension power lines of AP-Transco and PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India Limited), on the first stretch, have been cleared and that they have begun to shift these lines. The shifting of HT lines of Lanco is yet to commence though, officials said, adding that they expect it to be completed by the end of October this year.
Meanwhile, the deadline for the completion of work on second stretch, which involves the construction of a bridge over the Krishna river, has been extended once again, to April 2025.
Work held up
The work on the expansion of the service road in city near Novotel Hotel, another NHAI project, has been held up as the hotel management approached the High Court challenging the land acquisition process, officials said. The work that has been going on for the past four months on the road has turned out to be an inconvenience to both walkers and motorcyclists.
