Six-month traffic disruption ahead as Ranigunj railway underpass work to begin in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD For motorists navigating the Ranigunj rail underpass during peak hours, the familiar sight is a long queue of vehicles inching towards the narrow passage from Tank Bund, with buses, trucks, cars and two-wheelers jostling for space. What should be a short passage into a frustrating bottleneck. The proposed widening promises relief, but commuters will have to negotiate six months of traffic diversions before the work is completed.

Work on widening the Ranigunj Road Under Bridge (RuB) is expected to begin within a week. The existing carriageway, which is around 13 metres wide and currently accommodates two-way traffic, will be expanded to 22 metres to facilitate four-way movement. Officials expect the additional width to ease congestion and improve traffic flow along the busy stretch. Traffic will be diverted through alternative routes.

Under the proposed plan, vehicles travelling from MG Road towards Paradise and Ranigunj will be asked to take a left towards Distillery Road, pass through another road underbridge and proceed towards Karbala before joining MG Road. Buses and trucks will be diverted from Old Ambedkar towards Liberty, Kavadiguda and Musheerabad, while smaller vehicles will be routed through Karbala and Ranigunj.

To facilitate smoother movement at Karbala, the concerned agency has been asked to provide an additional three metres of road space to enable one-way traffic. Officials said that if congestion builds up near Karbala Maidan, a portion of the traffic will be diverted through Minister Road and Rasoolpura. Flexi boards and signboards have been put up along the stretch to alert motorists about the upcoming work and diversions.

A. Chandra Shekar, who works at the Nampally court, commutes every day from Bolarum to reach work by 9 a.m., travelling through the stretch during the morning rush hour. He said the diversions would mean a longer commute for the next six months, but felt the eventual improvement would justify the inconvenience. “Although it will be a struggle to make the extra ride to dodge the stretch for six months, I speak for everyone when I say that this will bring much relief to a lot of commuters,” he said.

For Kalpana C, the congestion is not restricted to peak hours. She travels along Hussain Sagar Road from Himayatnagar towards her home in Rasoolpura and said the stretch frequently gets choked. “I take the Hussain Sagar Road to come home in Rasoolpura from Himayatnagar and it chokes up at any given time. Check the maps and it will be red constantly, especially the road towards Paradise from Tank Bund,” she said.

An official traffic advisory detailing the vehicle-wise diversion routes and restrictions will be issued by the Hyderabad Traffic Police before construction begins. Commuters will be advised to follow the notified routes and plan their journeys accordingly.