Road widening finally begins on Hitec City Road; relief in sight for IT commuters

After years of gridlock and months of uncertainty, road widening works have finally begun on the heavily congested stretch between Lemon Tree and Trident Hotel in Madhapur on the Hitec City Road, following a recent coordination meeting between the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), the electricity department and the traffic police.

The kilometre-long corridor is a critical link for Cyberabad’s IT belt, carrying daily traffic from major technology hubs such as Raheja Mindspace, Knowledge City and CapitaLand as well West Hyderabad residential hubs, including Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli, Manikonda and Kukatpally. An estimated 5 lakh employees depend on the road for their daily commute, with vehicle volumes touching 1.5 lakh every day, making it one of the busiest stretches in the city.

Although the widening proposal had received approval last year, work on the ground only began at the end of January. The project was initially expected to begin by the end of August 2025, but progress stalled due to the presence of major underground electrical infrastructure and the need for inter-departmental clearances.

Relocation of two major underground electrical cables (11KV and 133KV) and other electrical wiring at the site.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Construction activity began around two weeks ago and is currently focused on relocating two major power cables of 11 kV and 133 kV capacity, along with other electrical wiring. The project involves adding a third lane to the existing two-lane stretch, which is expected to reduce commute times by up to 30 minutes during peak office hours.

According to Madhapur Traffic Inspector Sridhar Kumar, the next stage of the project will involve controlled blasting of a stone outcrop near the Trident Hotel to create space for the new lane. He said these activities would be carried out during night hours to minimise inconvenience to commuters. During certain phases of construction, one of the existing lanes may be temporarily closed, for which alternative routes will be planned and communicated to commuters in advance.

Officials estimate the road widening works could take anywhere between five months and a year to be completed.

Road works begin on the heavily congested stretch between Lemon Tree Premier and Trident in Madhapur on the Hitec City Road
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The stretch near the Trident Hotel has long been a major pinch point. Here, six incoming lanes converge abruptly into just two, including three lanes from the Raidurgam underpass, two from Deloitte Drive and one wide lane from the Mindspace rotary. This sudden narrowing routinely brings traffic to a standstill, with vehicle speeds dropping to as low as 10 kmph and waiting times stretching beyond 30 minutes during peak periods.

In the interim, alternative routes such as the Parvath Nagar road underbridge and the Tech Mahindra link road towards the Hitex signal are being used to ease traffic pressure.

While commuters have welcomed the start of the works, many say the real test will be timely execution.

Road widening work begin on the heavily congested stretch between Lemon Tree Premier and Trident in Madhapur on the Hitec City Road.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement