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Jul 03, 2023

 Light in the darkness: LED bulbs to be installed along Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road stretch

With works to install LED lights along the entire stretch of ORR nearing

With works to install LED lights along the entire stretch of ORR nearing completion, officials are hopeful that this move will bring down the number of accidents on the road

Published: 26th September 2021 07:53 AM | Last Updated: 26th September 2021 07:53 AM | A+A A-

Apart from the 22-km stretch between Gachibowli and Shamshabad, the remaining part of the 158-km-long Outer Ring Road (ORR) did not have street lights till now

HYDERABAD: In an effort to avoid accidents on the stretch and to impart it an aesthetic appeal, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority had recently started installing LED lights along the entire 158-km-long Outer Ring Road (ORR). With the illumination works nearing completion, the officials are hopeful that journey through the stretch will become safer.

The ORR that was constructed to provide quick access to important nodes in Hyderabad city, has also been acting as a stretch that connects highways and city radial roads, and a bypass that reduces traffic jams. However, mishaps have been common on the road due to poor lighting. Several motorists have lost their lives on the stretch. Apart from the 22-km stretch between Gachibowli and Shamshabad, the stretch does not have street lights on the remaining 136-km stretch.

With the HMDA's efforts to illuminate the entire stretch, the situation is likely to change soon. The unilluminated 136-km of ORR between Kokapet and Shamshabad that touches Patancheru will get functional LED lights by October, which would hopefully provide motorists the much-awaited respite.

After noticing that about 136 km of the ORR main carriageway was in dark, as a result of which it had turned into a deathtrap, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao instructed the officials concerned to arrange LED lights all along the stretch.

The lighting arrangements are being made for one km on ORR main carriageway, up and down ramps, approach roads and junctions at Kokapet, Edulanagulapally, Patancheru, Pedda Amberpet, Bonguluru, Raviryal and Tukkugudda. Junction lighting is being arranged with high mast poles at Medchal, Shamirpet, Keesara, Ghatkesar and Taramathipet. The illumination of ORR was taken up, along with one-km length of service roads on either side of intersections with high masts and seven years of operation and maintenance, at an estimated cost of `98.11 crore.

So far, works on about 120 km of main carriageway have been completed and the remaining works on the main carriageway, service roads and high masts are under progress. It includes about 6,279 poles and 13,303 luminaries. The works are expected to be completed by October 15, 2021, for commissioning.The lack of functional streetlights has been posing a multitude of challenges on the busy road, especially with regard to safety of citizens. Apart from accidents, ORR also became the scene for several crimes.In fact, the brutal rape and murder of a veterinary doctor near Tondupally toll gate on the ORR near Shamshabad Airport during night brought to fore the intensity of the issue. The absence of streetlights where the woman parked her vehicle was identified by investigators as one of the prime reasons for her abduction. Her life could have been saved if the stretch had been properly lit.

With HMDA's efforts, there will be uniform light beams across an entire highway surface to provide motorists a clear picture of the stretch's conditions with no dark spots or poorly lit areas.The LED lighting is state-of-the-art technology with a GSM based automation system, web-based management, programming and reporting system making jobs easier for maintenance. The status of lighting can be controlled and monitored through internet. Also, another specialty is that the system will have the option to dim lights by 50 percent, during low traffic time.