The P V Narsimha Rao Expressway

A stretch of the much-delayed 11.5-km P V Narasimha Rao Expressway will be thrown open to the public from December. The 5-km stretch will begin at Sarojini Devi Hospital and extend up to Hyderguda.The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will create a ramp at Hyderguda by deviating from the actual plan and throw it open. As a result, the HMDA would incur an additional cost of Rs 10 crore. HMDA commissioner K S Jawahar Reddy said benefits outweigh the cost factor as it would help citizens. Though the ramp at Hyderguda was there in the initial plan, it was modified later and planned at Indra Reddy statue. It would help motorists, especially airport travellers, cut down travel time to a certain extent. Construction of expressway has reduced carriageway at the Mehdipatnam-Rethibowli junction, triggering traffic jams. Initially, the expressway was slated to be ready by October 2008, but is way behind the schedule due to land acquisition problems. According to revised estimates, the project might be completed by July 2009. Till date, 108 piers have been completed and the ramp would be built at the 168th pier.