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As part of its plans to improve flow of cargo traffic, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is going ahead with its proposal to construct a grade separator in order to help port traffic bypass Convent Junction in the city.
The proposal for the grade separator (a flyover dedicated for port traffic) is estimated to cost around Rs 60 crore and will connect the bridge near Essar manufacturing facility to Ambedkar Statue inside the port area. The estimated length of the grade separator is around 900 metres and the VPT has submitted the project proposal to the union shipping ministry so that the same can be funded under the Sagarmala programme.
The development of a grade separator will allow heavy vehicles approaching the port from the National Highway at Sheelanagar to bypass the Convent Junction which will avoid interference with city traffic and also lead to better traffic efficiency for the major port.
VPT chairman MT Krishna Babu said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the project and now the proposal has been sent for funding under the Sagarmala programme.
He said the major port is looking at two major road connectivity projects out of which the grade separator is one and expected to take around one-and-half year for completion. The second project is aimed at four-lane or six-lane connectivity from container terminal to the Ambedkar Statue in the port area and is expected to cost around Rs 100-120 crore as per initial estimates.
According to industry sources, inner harbour berths from EQ 1 to 7 on the east quay will benefit from the move as the cargo will directly head into the port area. “Heavy vehicles currently coming from the airport side have to go around the Convent Junction and during peak traffic time it causes inconvenience to both port traffic as well as the public using the road. As traffic continues to grow in the city and port traffic also increases in coming days, the people using the Convent Junction can avoid heavy vehicles once the grade separator comes into place.”
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