Clearing Bottlenecks at Agrasen Island, Rd No 45 Key to Solving Traffic Issue at KBR
Road No. 45 and Maharaja Agrasen Junctions emerge as major bottlenecks on first day
Hyderabad: Road No. 45 junction and Maharaja Agrasen statue island became two of the biggest traffic bottlenecks on Tuesday as the one-way traffic system at KBR Park took effect. Traffic coming from both the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Road No. 10 created a major chokehold at the Maharaja Agrasen island. The massive section of IT professionals heading towards Durgam Cheruvu, along with riders accustomed to their usual route, created chaos at the Road No. 45 junction.
Motorists going around the KBR park, beginning and ending at the park’s main entrance, took nearly 35 minutes. However, nearly 32 minutes of those 35 minutes was spent between NTR Bhavan and Road No. 45 junctions, covering only 3.5 km. The remaining 1.5 km from the junction towards the park entrance via Jubilee Hills checkpost took only three minutes. The 12 noon situation highlighted how congested the traffic was between the two bottleneck junctions.
By 3 pm, however, the traffic eased out. A full five-kilometre lap, again starting from the park’s entrance, took nearly 26 minutes. However, traffic at Agrasen Junction took nearly 15 minutes to clear, post which the traffic eased out through the entire stretch.
At other locations such as Basavatarakam junction and even TTD junction, motorists experienced long queues as some vehicles attempted to change lanes.
The disruption was not entirely unexpected. The new arrangement has fundamentally changed how traffic moves around the park. Motorists who were looking to take the next exit were asked to change lanes from the right lane to the left, and motorists whose exits were further ahead were urged to stick to the right lanes to keep the traffic flowing.
The immediate problem appears to be less about the principle of one-way movement, and more about the sudden redistribution of traffic. Vehicles that earlier took direct turns now have to travel further, use designated lane changers or approach their destinations through alternative junctions. This has increased the number of vehicles passing through key sections at the same time.
Police, however, are determined that if people gain awareness of how to move through the new system, they will keep the traffic flowing and will solve the bottleneck problems. Hyderabad police commissioner V. C. Sajjanar said “We’re placing bigger signboards at junctions like Road No 45 junction where people are getting confused. Motorists are habituated to take a left from the junction and take a u-turn under the flyover to go towards the checkpost. Once they understand and begin heading straight, the problem will ease off.”
For motorists, the first day has been a test of both infrastructure and familiarity. Many drivers were still looking for their old turns and calculating how to navigate the new way, while others were slowing down to understand signs, barricades and lane changes.
