After being shut for over a month following a horrific car accident, the Biodiversity Flyover in Hyderabad was reopened on Saturday. The reopening comes after the Greater Hyderabad Municipality Corporation (GHMC) implemented the recommendations made by an expert committee, formed after the accident where an allegedly overspeeding car fell off the bridge, killing one person and injuring six.
Authorities have also imposed a ban on selfies on the Biodiversity flyover and will levy a fine of Rs 1100 for overspeeding.
The expert committee comprised the former Executive Director of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) S Nagabhushan Rao, the former director of Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) TS Reddy, Osmania University Associate Professor Srinivas Kumar, and road safety audit expert Pradeep Reddy. The committee submitted its report on December 16, 2019 to the GHMC.
The committee found that many of the existing signages were not following Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards. The signage on the flyover such as the gantry sign at the entry of the flyover, vehicle restraint barrier and carriageway reduction signs, warning signs for rumble strips, speed limits and merging traffic ahead sign at the end of flyover required IRC compliance.
The committee had also suggested a dedicated lane for two-wheelers at the left lane but the suggestion was later dropped. All ‘go slow’ signs have been replaced with speed limit signs.
Following works carried out by GHMC, the committee inspected the flyover on December 25 and again on December 30.
On November 23, a Volkswagen GT car that was traveling at high speed before hurtling off the Biodiversity flyover, and landing in the road below, killing one woman and injuring six others.
The car was travelling at the speed of 104 kmph (kilometre per hour) while the permissible speed on the flyover is just 40 kmph. On November 11, another car, with its driver in an inebriated condition, caused an accident killing two people who were taking selfies on the flyover. While the drivers of both cars have been unequivocally condemned, many had raised questions on the design of the flyover.
GHMC officials and the private construction firm that built the flyover had assured that there was nothing wrong with the flyover’s design. The expert committee was constituted shortly after.
On November 4, the 990-meter long flyover was inaugurated by Minister KT Rama Rao. The Biodiversity flyover is a one-way, and begins at the DivyaSree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction, heading towards IKEA. It is part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore.