Telugu Thalli Flyover in Visakhapatnam turns into a hotspot for accidents

TTF Flyover in Visakhapatnam has seen 40 deaths due to construction defects since 2013. Stakeholders discussed measures to prevent accidents, but no results. Citizens demand authorities repair flyover for safer road network. Suggested measures include roller barricades, rumble strips, crash barriers, signages, warning boards. Lack of proper banking at tail-end of flyover also noted. GVMC Commissioner promised to set up committee to study design before taking action.

The Telugu Thalli Flyover (TTF), which completed a decade of service this October, still awaits the attention of the concerned authorities, including the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), for a proper reconstruction/repair that would prevent road accidents and deaths henceforth. The flyover was opened on October 9 in 2013 and has become a hotspot for accidents.

The Visakhapatnam City Traffic Police (VCTP) said that at least 40 people lost their lives on the flyover due to construction defects ever since its opening. Recently, two youths were killed and another seriously injured in a bike accident on the flyover in the early hours of October 26. The rider lost control and hit the divider.

Stakeholders and members of Visakhapatnam Road Safety Committee (VRSC) discussed the issue and measures to be taken to control deaths on the flyover at several meetings held in the presence of its chairman, who is also the District Collector. Certain measures were discussed and suggested in the meetings. But, those measures did not yield any results.

Greater Visakha Citizens’ Forum vice-president Sohan Hatangadi said, “Citizens ultimately see results, not efforts or plans. We have not seen a single year where there hasn’t been a fatal accident on the flyover. It is a vital road for motorists to reach the railway station. The authorities should at least now focus on repairing the flyover to ensure that it remains one of the safest road networks in the city henceforth.”

G.C. Raja Ratnam, Visakhapatnam Deputy Transport Commissioner, Road Transport Authority, and one of the members of VRSC, suggested that authorities can adopt best accident prevention measures, which have yielded successful results on flyovers in the country.

“I can suggest the measures taken by authorities on the Biodiversity Park flyover in Hyderabad. The flyover has two curves within a distance of less than one km,” Mr. Raja Ratnam said.