380-metre skywalk to come up in one of Hyderabad's busiest suburbs at cost of Rs 34 crore

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is soon going to build a 380-metre skywalk with a pedestrian corridor and commercial complex at one of the busiest suburbs in the city -- Mehdipatnam.

According to HMDA, "The design approach considered the two local roads – Asif Nagar Road and Gudi Malkapur Road (that branch out from the Inner Ring Road).The aim was to provide pedestrian connectivity from the Military Area Side towards the commercial and residential areas that exist near these local roads. Two points of interest were identified – the bus terminal area and the oval junction area. The vertical connectivity towards the boardwalk will be introduced through a glass enclosure which consists of a staircase and lift."

The project is estimated to cost Rs 34.28 crore. This skywalk or boardwalk will help pedestrians move across the road without inconvenience. The project includes an elevated pedestrian corridor and commercial building including 15 elevator lifts.

Principal Secretary for Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Arvind Kumar tweeted on Wednesday: “Mehdipatnam finally gets pedestrian skywalk (to cross over one most congested roads) & - 500 mtrs steel skyway plus 16 lifts including two in Rythu Bazaar,” In his tweet, he also informed that MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao has approved detailed designs.

As part of this project, bus shelters will also get redesigned.

The site for the proposed skywalk abuts the PV Narasimha Rao Flyover. It has an overall travel length of 380 metres which includes above ground retail activity. A series of bus stops on the military side and a bus terminal on the commercial side bring in a lot of pedestrian flow into the space. People crossing either side of the inner ring road face risk of accidents due to the heavy vehicular traffic in the area.

With this project, hawkers who have encroached the bus bay under PVNR Expressway would be removed.