Gachibowli Traffic Diversions for Flyover Work Affect 10000 IT Employees

The first day of traffic restrictions at the IIIT junction in Gachibowli for the construction of a multi-level flyover and underpass saw over 10,000 IT employees adjusting to revised routes on Wednesday. The diversions rerouted traffic onto the Gachibowli-Miyapur road and the Radisson Hotel junction, causing longer travel times, congestion, and confusion on a key gateway to Hyderabad’s IT corridor.

The restrictions on DLF Road Number 1 closed one of the two main access routes used by employees at the DLF and TCS campuses, forcing all traffic onto the Radisson Hotel stretch. Gachibowli Traffic Inspector Gona Suresh explained that while about 25 percent of commuters previously approached via DLF Road Number 1, all employees must now use the Radisson Hotel road, significantly increasing the traffic load on that stretch.

Under the hybrid work pattern, the two IT campuses together see between 10,000 and 12,000 employees daily. Under the revised plan, vehicles traveling from Lingampally towards DLF Road are being diverted via Gachibowli junction and the Radisson Hotel junction. This diversion has added 1.5 kilometers to the journey and increased travel time by at least 10 minutes.

Additionally, commuters traveling from the Radisson Hotel are being diverted via Gachibowli junction through Indiranagar to reach IIIT. This route adds approximately 4 kilometers in distance and around 20 minutes in travel time.

The construction has also reduced physical road space. Excavation for the underpass has occupied 18 to 21 meters of the median along the Old Mumbai Highway, leaving only 2 to 2.5 lanes available for traffic on various stretches.

Minor traffic hold-ups were reported near the TCS campus on Wednesday morning. Police allowed only authorized vehicles onto the campus access road after verifying employee identity cards, which caused brief queues. Suresh noted that some motorists mistakenly entered the one-lane access road and had to make U-turns, contributing to the delays. TCS has been asked to install directional boards, and employees have been advised to use an alternate gate.

Local commuters expressed concern over the changes. Bharath Krishnan, a scholar at the University of Hyderabad who regularly uses DLF Road, noted that the junction was already a bottleneck. He stated that routing all commuters through the Gachibowli junction has further increased congestion and wait times.

Traffic police stated that motorists would require a few days to become familiar with the new routes. Meanwhile, internal roads within DLF have also started experiencing increased traffic as commuters attempt to bypass the main diversions.