The long-awaited flyover between Malaysian Township and JNTU, Kukatpally, was opened for vehicles on Saturday without much fanfare.
A formal inauguration could not take place for the flyover built under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) due to the model code of conduct being in force in view of Lok Sabha polls, a statement from GHMC informed.
Reportedly under pressure from citizens through social media, GHMC gave green signal for opening of the structure, which is expected to ease the traffic flow between Kukatpally and HiTec City by 66%.
The 1.2-km flyover has been built with an expenditure of ₹97.94 crore under Packge IV of the SRDP. The six-lane bidirectional flyover is 20 metres wide, and has a vertical clearance of 5.5 metres.
Peak hour flow of traffic on this route was estimated to be 11,791 passenger car units (PCUs) in 2015, which is projected to grow to 25,836 PCUs by 2035.
As per traffic survey, 66% of the peak hour traffic which enters the Rajiv Gandhi Statue junction comes from the JNTU arm towards HiTec City. Of this, 94% traffic goes straight towards HiTec City. Daily, close to 1.6 lakh vehicles are estimated to travel to and from HiTec City from areas such as Pragathi Nagar, Kukatpally and Nizampet.
The Package IV involves construction of multi-level flyovers, and grade separators at four junctions including Biodiversity junction, Mindspace junction, Ayyappa Society junction, and Rajiv Gandhi Statue junction, the statement said.