Will KBR Park be one way Forever?
HYDERABAD: The one-way traffic system around KBR Park has prompted the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to rethink its ₹1,090-crore infrastructure project.
The civic body has spent nearly a decade exploring ways to ease congestion around Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) Park. Private consultancies had proposed flyovers, underpasses and tunnels. Some of the proposals involved projects worth thousands of crores.
The government later approved the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) project at an estimated cost of ₹1,090 crore.
However, traffic movement under the new one-way system has changed the situation. GHMC officials are now examining whether the city needs all the planned flyovers and underpasses.
GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan has monitored traffic around the park for about a month. He has indicated that the civic body could reduce the project cost if it makes the one-way system permanent.
One-way system cuts travel time
Six major intersections surround KBR Park. Under the current system, traffic moves clockwise around the park. This allows vehicles to pass through the junctions without stopping at every signal.
Earlier, motorists often waited 10 to 20 minutes at each intersection. A trip around the park could also involve crossing at least two major junctions.
The one-way system has reduced travel time to about five to 10 minutes, according to officials. They believe traffic could move even faster if GHMC improves the roads and removes bottlenecks.
The improvement has prompted officials to question the need for every planned grade separator.
Work already under way
GHMC is reviewing the project even as construction continues at several locations.
Workers have started building pillars on the stretch from the LV Prasad Eye Institute side towards the KBR Park intersection. They have also completed foundations for flyover pillars at Jubilee Hills Check Post.
Workers have excavated roads for underpasses at Maharaja Agrasen Junction and near Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital.
The original plan includes flyovers or underpasses at Jubilee Hills Check Post, KBR Park intersection, Jubilee Hills Road No. 45 and Maharaja Agrasen Junction.
The wider H-CITI project covers seven locations. It includes 14 structures — seven flyovers and seven underpasses.
GHMC is now considering whether it can limit the work to four key intersections. Officials want to complete only projects that traffic conditions require and avoid unnecessary spending.
However, cancelling or changing the project could create legal problems because GHMC has already signed agreements with contractors.
The civic body may hold discussions with the contractors before taking a final decision. Officials also want to balance traffic needs with public expenditure.
A senior GHMC official told Eenadu that the civic body expects greater clarity within a month.
Five-km detour remains a concern
The one-way system could also create problems for motorists travelling short distances.
In some cases, motorists may have to travel nearly 5 km even when their destinations are only about 200 metres apart.
For example, motorists travelling from the Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital area to the LV Prasad Eye Institute side may have to travel around most of KBR Park.
Officials believe wider link roads could solve this problem. These roads could connect the surrounding stretches and provide shorter routes.
GHMC has already started work on parts of the road network. However, the civic body has not yet begun land acquisition.
The original estimate for land acquisition stood at about ₹300 crore. That figure has now increased to around ₹750 crore.
Several landowners are also unwilling to accept compensation through transferable development rights (TDR) bonds. At the same time, GHMC does not have enough funds to pay the compensation in cash.
The sharp rise in land acquisition costs has added to the pressure on the project.
The civic body must now decide whether to continue with the original plan or modify it based on the traffic response to the one-way system.
Recent project details show that the H-CITI works around KBR Park include seven steel flyovers and seven underpasses. The overall project cost stands at an estimated ₹1,090 crore.
