Centre Downgrades RRR into Regular National Highway

Hyderabad: In an apparent setback to the state government, the Central government has decided to scale down the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) by changing its nomenclature from an access-controlled expressway to a regular National Highway.

This change, as per the Central government, was made due to the exorbitant costs involved in the proposed RRR. This decision also reduces several RRR unique features, including the reduction of the maximum speed limit from 120-130 kmph to 100 kmph.

Earlier, the state government had proposed the RRR as the country’s longest eight-lane ring road. However, the Central government scaled it down to six lanes, as it believed that an eight-lane expressway would not be necessary to handle the nation’s road traffic for at least another 20 years.

The original plan included LED street lighting along the entire length of the RRR, similar to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). Now, the lights will be installed only in areas where the road passes through or touches villages.

Initially, service roads were proposed for the RRR on the lines of ORR. However, the approved plan allows a vacant strip of land alongside the road, without the provision of a basic access road. Vehicles may need to travel a distance to take a U-turn.

Initially, the proposal called for the construction of 204 bridges and culverts along the northern stretch of the RRR, covering rivers like the Musi, Manjeera, and Haridra rivers. Now, it has also been reduced by half.

The road’s vertical curve is also modified, reducing visibility from 600 metres to 360 metres, raising the risk of accidents if vehicles go above the speed limit.