Traffic Jam On NH-65 Continues, Doubles Travel Time
The traffic buildup began on Sunday afternoon as people returned to Hyderabad from their hometowns after the Dasara festival: Reports
NALGONDA: Traffic on National Highway (NH 65) between Vijayawada and Hyderabad moved at a snail’s pace on Monday, with congestion reported at Panthangi toll plaza, Choutuppal, Peddakaparthy, and Chityal, nearly doubling the travel time between the two cities.
The traffic buildup began on Sunday afternoon as people returned to Hyderabad from their hometowns after the Dasara festival. The situation worsened due to ongoing NH expansion and flyover construction works, leading to severe bottlenecks at Choutuppal, Chityal, and Peddakaparthy.
Adding to the chaos, a road accident at Reddy Bavigudem forced police to divert vehicles from the Hyderabad-Vijayawada route to the opposite carriageway, causing zigzag movement and further slowing traffic. At one point, vehicles were backed up for over 4 km.
At Panthangi toll plaza, vehicles moved bumper to bumper, and it took nearly 30 minutes for two ambulances trapped in the jam to pass through.
To ease congestion, TGSRTC diverted its non-stop buses from Nalgonda to Hyderabad via Munugode and Sansthan Narayanapur.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Prabhakar Reddy said the rush of vehicles was expected to continue until Tuesday afternoon. “More than two lakh vehicles have crossed the Panthangi toll plaza since Saturday. Ongoing NH expansion work is also contributing to the slowdown. We are working to regulate vehicle movement on the highway to prevent gridlocks,” he said.
