The 1,600 meter Visakha Valley Road connecting National Highway-16 to Vizag-Bheemili Beach Road is going to widened under the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) and the Department of Forests. This widening of the road was proposed by the VUDA during the tenure of the former vice-chairman, N Yuvraj three years ago.
The city traffic department has also suggested to widen the roads as a part of the smart city project. The VUDA officials have prepared an action plan with an estimate of Rs 1.5 crore to improve the road network. The project couldn’t be carried forward then due to the strong opposition from the Forest Department.
Divisional Forest Officer Alan Chong mentioned that the proposed widened road is in the reserve forest area and it has to follow a certain procedure. However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police for traffic said that the widening of Visakha Valley Road would benefit the public. The traffic police have also been requesting on the widening of the road by at least 60feet (18meters) in order to reduce the vehicle rush as the existing road is very narrow. This widening of the road would ease the flow on the national highway and those who want to go to the beach would no longer need to enter the city.
One of the senior official of VUDA said that instead of planning to lay new roads using tar, they are planning to improve the existing roads itself by widening them with an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 crore. VUDA has called for tenders for the project which helps in widening the roads without spoiling the flora and fauna of the place.
VUDA has also reportedly already made marks on the road along the stretch. One of the resident there said that this road widening is required to cease the traffic due to the presence of Visakha Valley School and the beach road.
