The Ram Nagar level crossing in the city is a major bottleneck with the gate being closed at frequent intervals to facilitate passage of passenger and goods trains on the busy Guntakal - Bengaluru section of the South Central Railway.
In February 2014, the Congress regime gave the nod for the ₹32-crore road overbridge (RoB) project, but it could be grounded by MCSR Constructions only in March 2016, and is now nearing completion with Roads and Buildings Department officials hopeful of allowing traffic on it any day after December 30.
While 96% of the bridge work has been completed, work on small portions of the drains, approach and service roads is progressing at a hectic pace, Deputy Executive Engineer G. Sanjeevaiah and Executive Engineer K. Shanti Kumar, told The Hindu on Thursday.
Mega project
The 1,034-metre-long bridge has 28 vents with a section —51.2 mt— over the track constructed by the Railways, the R&B has joined its portion from both sides and this will enable motorists to get on to National Highway 44 (Hyderabad-Bangalore road) directly.
Now, they are forced to wait for the gate to open or take a circuitous route through crowded areas of the city by using the 50-year-old bridge.
The Revenue Department has to fix the boundaries of the properties of the land which had to be acquired to lay approach roads and service roads. Of the ₹12 crore compensation, about 70 % has been paid and the rest will be paid after outstanding issues, including legal disputes, are sorted out, Mr. Sanjeevaiah said
The 7.5-metre two-lane carriageway and the service roads would be lit with LED bulbs, the entire portion of the vents would be developed as green patches, which would be later maintained by the Anantapur Municipal Corporation.
Delay in shifting of water pipelines by the AMC and power lines by the APSPDCL contributed to the delay in the execution of work.
A proposal is also being prepared for expansion of the 50-year-old bridge.
