GUNTUR: The long-pending third phase of Guntur’s Inner Ring Road (IRR) project is finally progressing after years of delay. Stalled during the previous YSRCP government, the IIR project has gained fresh momentum under the current coalition government, promising to ease Guntur’s growing traffic congestion and boost regional connectivity.
The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is preparing to invite tenders for constructing the 4.5-kilometre stretch from Swarnabharathi Nagar to Palakaluru, at an estimated cost of around Rs 48 to Rs 50 crore. This phase will complete the 11-kilometre four-lane highway originally planned in 2005 by the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTM UDA).
The road is designed to connect Perecherla in western Guntur to National Highway-65 near Autonagar, allowing heavy vehicles from Palnadu district to bypass the city centre.
The first two phases, covering nearly 6.7 km, were completed between 2010 and 2018, but land acquisition challenges and compensation claims delayed the final phase. With the region now under CRDA’s jurisdiction following Amaravati’s capital status, authorities recently resolved several land disputes. Compensation amounting to Rs 6.35 crore has been disbursed to displaced families, and monthly allowances of Rs 10,000 are provided to affected landowners. Efforts to clear structural damage claims are ongoing.
