Vijayawada: In a bid to enhance livability in the city, the state planning department’s vision management unit has proposed air-conditioned elevated tubular skywalk in the city from Sri Kanakadurga temple to bus stand and railway station in an approximate distance of 3 kms. The government of Andhra Pradesh is in the process of developing Amaravati as the “peoples’ capital” and into an excellent city, and Vijayawada, as part of the capital region, is going to play a major role in the development of the state.
Vijayawada is already the hub of economic, cultural and political activity in Andhra Pradesh. It is thus imperative to develop Vijayawada’s livability into a cosmopolitan nature with high standards of living and world-class urban amenities, which requires a transformative change in providing both physical and social infrastructure, said a note prepared by the vision management unit.
Around six critical quick fix projects to enhance livability in Vijayawada city have been proposed and elevated skywalks proposal is one among them. The intersection of pedestrian and vehicular traffic through the main road congests the region between the temple, railway station and bus station. Traffic jam and congestion is an everyday scenario in the region, due to pedestrian traffic and vehicles. “It is imperative to ensure a safe walking path to pedestrians, free from woes due to traffic on the roads. The case for change stems from the concept of creating a friendly space for pedestrians and tourists by separating the paths of pedestrians from that of vehicles through an elevated walkway. By developing a pedestrian path, developing commercial/kiosk spaces along the pedestrian path, the area around the temple could be transformed to a citizen and tourist-friendly space,” said officials of VMU.
The skywalk will act as a direct route for pedestrians willing to reach the temple, thus ensuring easy pedestrian flow and decongesting the region under the skywalk. Entry/exit points should be provided at multiple points along the route to allow for usage of the skywalk by locals and will be regulated at the entry/exit nodes. To provide food and other amenities to pedestrians, commercial space/kiosks should be developed within the skywalk and at the exit points.
