HMDA Moots Steps to Make ORR Driving Safe

With the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) turning into a death trap for motorists due to rash and negligent driving, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), which is executing the project has initiated various steps to ensure safety on the ORR.

As part of the efforts, HMDA has decided to establish the Highway Traffic Management System (HTMS) and related facilities on the ORR. The HTMS project is being taken up with loan assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Phase-2 programme Operation and Maintenance of HTMS for five years. The last date for submitting the bids is March 11, 2014.

Under the HTMS project, the facility will be equipped with CCTV surveillance, speed guns, emergency call box systems, vehicle detector system, variable message signs, control room and a fleet of ambulances.

The Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a joint venture of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Infrastructure Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (INCAP) invited tenders on Public Private Partnership mode to execute the whole project by designing supplying, installing, commissioning of HTMS equipment.

The HTMS, a part of intelligent transport system (ITS), is proposed to be developed for the ORR.

HTMS is composed of sub-systems that include establishing of emergency call box (328), 47 variable message signs on ORR with 19 interchanges with the main traffic control centre (TCC) at Nanakramguda interchange and a sub-traffic control centre at Ghatkesar interchange, meteorological data system (4), automatic traffic counter-cum-classifier (ATCC) and closed circuit television cameras (41), automatic vehicle counter cum classifier systems (74). The works also include the supply, laying, installation and commissioning of fibre optic cable along the main carriageway on both sides.

The HTMS is estimated to cost around `200 crore. The HTMS centre would be established in the main TCC and would manage the HTMS system to achieve overall objectives.