Financial hiccups, contractor lapses add another year’s wait for Suchitra-Kompally flyover construction

Pillars rising in the middle of National Highway 44 at the Suchitra–Kompally stretch stand like half-finished promises. On either side, dug-up service roads force vehicles to crawl through narrow lanes, while dust, barricades, and diversions have become a daily ordeal for lakhs of commuters. For years, this patch has remained a maze of construction activity, with progress moving at a frustratingly slow pace, worsening traffic snarls and adding precious minutes to daily travel.

C. Srinivas Rao, Project Director, explained that work on the first stretch began in July 2022 and the second in January 2023. “Initially we faced multiple challenges- removing encroachments on the old road, tree translocation, and difficulties shifting water and electrical lines. Since the alignment runs through city limits, working hours were also restricted,” he said. Sub-structure works are complete with 100 pillars raised from Suchitra to Kompally, but superstructure activity has only begun in parts.

According to Rao, two flyovers, from Kompally to Kallakal, are targeted for completion by December 2025. Out of 45 spans required, 36 have been completed. “Once these two are ready, we can shift the launching equipment to Suchitra and push work on the remaining sections. The overall flyover project should be concluded by June 2026,” he added. As of September 2025, progress stands at 51% on the Kompally–Suchitra stretch and 37% from Kompally junction to Kallakal stretch.

The ₹401-crore infrastructure upgrade on the 10-km stretch from Bowenpally to Gundlapochampally has three elevated corridors at Suchitra/Dairy Farm junction, Cine Planet/Jeedimetla junction, and Kompally–Dhulapally T junction, along with four underpasses and service roads.

The total project costing ₹933 crores spans 27 km is expected to ease congestion and provide seamless connectivity towards Nagpur, Medchal, and other northern corridors.

“From March until August, construction nearly came to a standstill as we awaited fund release, leading to a six-month loss. We recently released 5% of the total contract value as mobilisation advance, and contractors have three months to show results. If performance is unsatisfactory, we may have to consider replacing them,” he said. Adding to the difficulties, unusually heavy rains in recent month have brought work to a halt.

Earlier in March 2024, safety lapses led to a road accident and the arrest of contractors. The Bowenpally police booked officials of Lakshmi Infrastructures and Developers India Pvt Ltd for failing to install cautionary signage, speed indicators, and lighting at the site.

Interestingly, conversations around the Suchitra–Kompally corridor date back to 2012, when proposals for curve improvement near Medchal were first discussed. A Detailed Project Report was initiated in 2017, paving the way for the current construction.

A retired NHAI project director, who has followed the project since its conception 13 years ago, said the current pace makes early completion unlikely..

For daily commuters, however, the numbers and explanations mean little compared to the lived experience of clogged roads. The corridor has become a choke point, pushing thousands of vehicles into adjacent colonies and internal lanes that can barely take the load.

“I have stayed in Alwal for more than a decade and these roads used to be a breeze,” said Ananya Rao. “At first I thought navigating the construction was hard as a biker, but it’s far worse in a car. Taking U-turn after U-turn through bottlenecks, with heaps of sand and half-done work strewn across the stretch, has become exhausting.”

Commuters also said the Bowenpally-Kompally section is the worst affected, with traffic jams that stretch for kilometres during peak hours.