Hyderabad: Hyderabad traffic police have announced that vehicle movement between Osmania University and Lalapet will remain closed from Friday, following a 50-day trial at Tarnaka junction. The trial, initially planned for 15 days, was extended as various studies were conducted. All findings recommended permanent closure of the junction.
Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Joel Davis said the biggest issue was the blocked free left turns, which increased congestion. “Though commuters could turn from Lalapet and University Road towards Secunderabad and Uppal, the free lefts from Uppal to Osmania and Secunderabad to Lalapet were blocked,” he said. Simulative studies tracked individual vehicle routes and travel time. Drone footage gave an aerial view of congestion, while Google Maps showed increased travel times in surrounding areas.
Davis added that signal wait times also rose. “Earlier, signals from Uppal to Mettuguda and vice versa lasted 30 seconds. With the junction open, it increased, prompting commuters to take the flyover, which is now jammed till Nacharam during peak hours,” he said. He noted vehicle discharge dropped to just 50 vehicles when the junction was open.
While free lefts from Habsiguda to University Road and Mettuguda to Lalapet remain, vehicles from Lalapet to University Road and vice versa were forcing their way in, blocking narrow entry points and causing further congestion.
Though the junction connects key routes and was opened after a decade based on public requests, commuters expressed reluctance to wait at signals and preferred taking U-turns. The traffic police now plan to close the junction again from Friday. There may be land acquisition in the future to widen the roads and improve traffic flow.
