Hyderabad’s Paradise-Shamirpet elevated corridor hopes to take long-distance traffic off local roads

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Traffic movement near Paradise Circle where elevated corridor works towards Suchitra are underway. File | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

For 28-year-old Y. Bharat, the commute home from Begumpet to Kowkur means negotiating one congested junction after another. The snarls stretch through Paradise, Karkhana, Trimulghery, Alwal and Hakimpet, and it is only after turning towards Kowkur that the drive becomes easier.

It is this long, stop-and-go journey that the proposed elevated corridor from Paradise Junction to the Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Shamirpet is expected to change, offering through traffic a route above some of the busiest stretches of northern Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The 18.1-km corridor along Rajiv Rahadari (SH-1) is planned with multiple entry and exit ramps, allowing motorists travelling between the city and areas including Alwal, Bolarum, Kowkur, Thumkunta and Shamirpet to bypass several junctions along the existing surface road.

For those living farther north, the difference could be substantial. At present, commuters from Shamirpet and Thumkunta heading towards central Hyderabad have to pass through Hakimpet, Bolarum, Alwal, Trimulghery, Karkhana and Patny before reaching Paradise. Once completed, the elevated corridor is expected to separate a sizeable portion of this through traffic from vehicles making shorter local journeys.

“The snarls continue almost all the way till Hakimpet. It [commute] used to take me 35-40 minutes about four years ago. Now it takes more than an hour! Only after taking the right towards Kowkur does the traffic ease,” said Mr. Bharat, who works in Begumpet. He hopes the corridor will substantially cut the time he spends navigating the stretch every day.

Tito George (32), a resident of Janapriya Homes in Bolarum, has watched the situation deteriorate over the past five years. “Traffic has gone from bad to worse in the last five years alone. We are hoping the elevated corridor will finally bring some relief,” he said.

For residents of neighbourhoods along the alignment, the expected benefit is not necessarily about travelling all the way to Shamirpet. Anibrith Bhattacharjee of Lothkunta, Alwal, hopes shifting long-distance traffic onto the elevated road will free up the surface-level carriageway for people making shorter trips within the neighbourhoods.

The project, however, comes with considerable disruption before that relief arrives.

Road widening and preparatory works have already altered stretches of Lothkunta and Shamirpet, where shops, hospitals and other establishments have been demolished. The project will also require the demolition of the Trimulgherry RTO office and the Marredpally Traffic Police Station among other establishments.

For T. Sruthi who is a resident of Karkhana — one of the busiest points along the route — the immediate question is how commuters will negotiate the construction phase. Traffic already funnels through a relatively constrained stretch here, and construction activity and diversions could make everyday travel harder before the corridor becomes operational.

Similar concerns have surfaced among Hyderabad residents discussing the project on social media. While some have described the existing route as a traffic nightmare and welcomed infrastructure that could provide a faster connection to the ORR, others have questioned whether adding more road capacity alone will provide lasting congestion relief, arguing for stronger public transport alongside road infrastructure.

Once operational, however, the most visible change for motorists could be the ability to travel considerable distances without descending into every major junction below. An official from Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) said the project is estimated to be completed by the beginning of 2028. Local motorists, meanwhile, could benefit from fewer long-distance vehicles competing for space on the surface road.

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