Guntur: The railway ministry has agreed to take up two more rail under bridges (RUB) in the city. The proposals for taking up RUBs have been pending with the railways for about a decade and a half. Centre has finally agreed to take up two RUBs as requested by state govt.
It is noted that the Centre has been clearing all the pending projects, particularly with regard to the railways, since the TDP became a major partner of the alliance in the ruling NDA at the Centre. The new RUBs will come up at Syamala Nagar railway gate and Sanjeevaiah Nagar railway gate.
Sources said that the railway authorities have asked the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) authorities to get ready with road development plans (RDP) in order to kick-start the works on RUBs. The RUBs are expected to ease traffic woes in the city as vehicular movement has been coming to a grinding halt at the manned-railway gates here, whenever the trains pass through.
Guntur is considered to be the only big city in the state which has eight manned railway gates within the city limits and this leads to serious traffic congestion. The railway lines run through the city and cross major road junctions at almost eight points, leaving the city traffic in chaos almost every day.
Union ministry road transport and highways recently granted 98 crore to reconstruct a new rail over bridge (ROB) near Sankar vilas junction and another ROB on inner ring road (IRR) near Reddypalem. The railway authorities are gearing up to launch the works on two big ROBs, which are expected to transform the city’s landscape. The Sankar vilas flyover has been designed as four-lane by replacing the existing two-lane ROB. Similarly, the ROB on IRR would ease the traffic coming from the NH into the city.
“We are readying with all plans to manage traffic congestion once the railway authorities commence works on the proposed ROBs and RUBs,” said GMC commissioner Puli Srinivasulu.
It may be mentioned here that the railway ministry had also agreed to take up another ROB near Nallapadu to connect the city from Hyderabad highway, without a need to cross the hurdle of railway gate. Similarly, state govt requested to complete the ROB on Nandivelugu road, whose construction was halted for a want if 30 crore. While the railway authorities completed their portion of the structure part of ROB, the roads and buildings (R&B) department had failed to execute the remaining work, leaving the project hanging in the balance for about a decade. Sources said that railway ministry had in principle agreed to complete the balance work of ROB and remove the existing manned-gate.
