The trial closure of Suchitra Junction turning it into a U-turn has evoked mixed reactions in just three days of its implementation. Motorists have to drive one more km for reaching the U-turn, while those coming from Medchal have to drive 800 additional metres. The two-week trial aims to ease congestion at one of the city’s busiest intersections.
For those travelling between Hyderabad and Kompally, Medchal, the closure has been a blessing. Waiting times that previously stretched beyond 30 minutes at the junction have now dropped to barely two minutes, giving long-suffering motorists some long-awaited relief.
But for commuters on the Alwal-Jeedimetla stretch, the closure has turned routine trips into detours of nearly a kilometre on each side, adding to fuel expenses and creating fresh snarls on adjoining stretches. Many complained that the diversion not only increased their travel time but also pushed congestion deeper into inner roads.
Motorists taking a U-turn, about a kilometre away after traffic officials temporarily closed the U-turn at Suchitra X Roads to ease congestion on NH-44, in Hyderabad.
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RAMAKRISHNA G
The roads around it carry a mix of school and college buses, RTC services, industrial vehicles and employee shuttles from Jeedimetla and company and private vehicles of tech employees. Rising above it are the unfinished pillars of the much-awaited Kompally flyover that has been in the works for years, leaving the roads narrowed and choked.
Medchal DCP (Traffic) J. Ranjan Rathan Kumar said the results of the trial are already visible. “Earlier it was taking motorists over 20 minutes to cross the junction at peak times. Now, apart from the short pelican signal for pedestrians, traffic is moving smoothly. The travel time is just two minutes, over ten times faster than before,” he said. He admitted that Alwal and Quthbullapur motorists must go 800 metres further to make a U-turn but described it as a ‘small compromise’ for smoother flow.
A sign board showing the next U-turn after traffic officials temporarily closed the Suchitra junction for the Alwal-Jeedimetla commuters to ease congestion on NH-44.
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RAMAKRISHNA G
Alwal Traffic Inspector Ch Shankaraiah said queues at the junction once stretched for one to two kilometres in each direction. “At least four or five signal cycles were needed for a vehicle to pass. Now there is only one pedestrian signal, for 30 to 40 seconds, and the traffic keeps moving. This has also reduced pollution, as vehicles are not idling along with the risk of accidents,” he said.
But for many regular users of the stretch, the closure has only added to their woes. Ravish Kumar (name changed), who drives daily from Alwal to Parade Grounds, called the decision ‘thoughtless’. “The road has already narrowed due to flyover work, and now the closure forces motorists to drive almost a kilometre more to reach the NH-44, which is clogged with roadside shops and merging service roads. The experience of the last three days has been harrowing,” he said.
The incomplete service road near My Friends Circle restaurant and the narrow two-lane with a railway underpass leave no room for expansion.
Public transport too has been affected. TGSRTC buses that once turned at the junction must now take a detour of nearly two kilometres to reach the Suchitra bus stop. On social media, commuters like Nikhil Dakoju argued that “lack of proper planning” is to blame, pointing out that the bridge adjacent to the junction is too narrow to absorb the diverted traffic.
Motorists heading from Alwal towards Bowenpally merging with the traffic at Suchitra X Roads after traffic police officials closed the junction to ease congestion on NH-44, in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G
As long as I am not stopping at the signal for two songs in my playlist to pass by, I am good, said Kishore Rao, a resident of Alwal. “I had to anyway opt for u-turns around the Suchitra junctions because that way, at least I am moving. More often than not, I beat the traffic at the junction by doing this. We have to think of the bigger picture as its a national highway road. This is a small price to pay, and we can reap the benefits of this when crossing the junction to go from Bowenpally to Kompally seamlessly,” he said.
Kavya Reddy, a resident of Bowenpally, said that just on Tuesday (August 19), it took her about 17 minutes to get by the Suchitra Junction from Bowenpally. “The congestion was seen about a kilometre before the signal. I am yet to travel by the route again but I can plan my trip knowing that the path is better for us,” she said.
For now, six officers are stationed at the junction to manage and monitor traffic during the trial run before officials decide on its future. Whether the closure becomes permanent will depend on a simple equation — whether the relief of some outweighs the resentment of others at one of Hyderabad’s busiest crossroads.
Published – August 23, 2025 06:47 pm IST
