Day 1 of IIIT junction diversions forces over 10,000 IT employees onto longer routes, triggers congestion

The first day of traffic restrictions at IIIT junction for construction of a multi-level flyover and underpass saw over 10,000 IT employees adjusting to revised routes as traffic was rerouted onto the Gachibowli-Miyapur road and the Radisson Hotel junction. While police described the diversions as largely manageable, commuters reported longer travel times, congestion and confusion on one of the key gateways to Hyderabad’s IT corridor.

The restrictions on DLF Road Number 1 have effectively closed one of the two access routes used by employees working in the DLF and TCS campuses, forcing all traffic onto the Radisson Hotel stretch.

“Around 25% of commuters approach via DLF Road Number 1 while the rest enter through the Radisson Hotel road. With the restrictions, all employees have been asked to use the latter, increasing traffic load on that stretch,” explained Gachibowli Traffic Inspector Gona Suresh.

The two IT companies together see 10,000-12,000 employees daily under the present hybrid work pattern. Under the revised traffic plan, vehicles travelling from Lingampally towards DLF Road are being diverted via Gachibowli junction and the Radisson Hotel junction before reaching DLF Road. The diversion has added 1.5 km to the journey and increased travel time by at least 10 minutes.

Traffic diversions implemented by the Cyberabad traffic police from July 1.
| Photo Credit:
By Arrangement

The restrictions come at a junction that already carries enormous traffic volumes. Official estimates indicate that 2.6 lakh to 2.8 lakh vehicles travel daily between Lingampally and Gachibowli while DLF Road itself carries around 2 lakh vehicles every day. The Radisson Hotel junction is already a major bottleneck, with three lanes of traffic from the P. Janardhan Reddy (PJR) flyover and two from Gachibowli junction converging onto a carriageway barely wide enough for three lanes.

Traffic builds up near the Radisson Hotel in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit:
SIDDHANT THAKUR

Commuters travelling from the Radisson Hotel are being diverted via Gachibowli junction before proceeding through Indiranagar to reach IIIT, adding around 4 km in distance and around 20 minutes in travel time.

Meanwhile, excavation for the underpass has occupied 18 to 21 metres of the median along the Old Mumbai Highway, leaving only 2 to 2.5 lanes, varying across different stretches, available for traffic.

Minor traffic hold-ups were reported near the TCS campus on Wednesday morning, where police are allowing only authorised vehicles into the campus access road after verifying employee identity cards.

Work on multi-level flyovers offers hope and dread in equal measure to motorists on the busy IIIT road and Gachibowli junction.
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G.

“We have provided one-lane access for around 200 metres to TCS employees. A few vehicles queued up during ID verification, while some motorists mistakenly entered, assuming it is a through road. They were then asked to take a U-turn, creating brief hold-ups,” Suresh said. TCS has now been asked to install boards stating “Entry only for TCS employees”, while the staffs has also been advised to use the alternate campus gate from the IIIT-Lingampally road.

Bharath Krishnan, a scholar at the University of Hyderabad who regularly uses the DLF Road, said the junction had long been a bottleneck even before the latest restrictions. “With the reduced road width and ongoing construction, the journey has become more dangerous. Many commuters earlier used DLF Road to bypass Gachibowli junction. Routing all of them through the junction has increased congestion and wait time further,” he said.

Traffic police maintained that motorists would require a few days to become familiar with the revised traffic pattern. Officials said internal roads within DLF have also begun witnessing increased traffic from commuters attempting to bypass the main diversion.