The oldest Railway over Bridge (RoB) in the State, Arundelpet RoB, will be pulled down and in its place a new elevated corridor from Municipal Travellers Bungalow to Lodge Centre junction would be laid at a cost of ₹175 crore, Guntur MP Galla Jayadev said here on Monday.
The new RoB is expected to ease traffic congestion on the narrow and busy RoB, which is a vital gateway to new Capital Amaravati.
Till the time the new RoB is built, a Railway under Bridge (RuB) would be laid, the MP said. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this new bridge was being prepared, he added.
The MP, along with Ministers Ch. Ayyannapatrudu and Nakka Ananda Babu, and Municipal Commissioner C. Anuradha, visited the busy Sankar Vilas Junction and reviewed the traffic conditions in the city.
First RoB
Built in 1957, the Arundelpet RoB, extends to a length of 431 metres, with its carriage ways extending to 7.30 metres. It was opened by then Chief Minister Neelam Sanjeev Reddy in the presence of senior Congress stalwarts like Chebrolu Hanumaiah, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy etc.
It was the first RoB in the State and was built to connect the One Town to the just developing areas in Two Town.
Over the years, the traffic has multiplied several folds, leading to traffic snarls on the narrow bridge.
In 2005, the then MLA, Guntur West, Tadisetty Venkat Rao came up with a proposal to build an elevated corridor from the Hindu College Junction to the Lodge Centre, and a consultant from New Delhi was roped in to prepare a report. But the project was shelved.
The Guntur Municipal Corporation has completed 150 years of its existence but the city lacks many basic infrastructural facilities, like stormwater drainage and under water drainage systems.
It is only recently that the GMC has taken up UGD work at a cost of ₹960 crore.
