Uppal flyover work pushes traffic into residential lanes in eastern Hyderabad, doubles commuting time for residents

Commuters were stuck in a massive traffic jam on Uppal X roads amid ongoing work on the elevated corridor. | Photo credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Traffic diversions caused by the ongoing work on the Uppal-Narapally elevated corridor are increasingly spilling over to the colonial roads and residential lanes, slowing down the commute and affecting businesses on Uppal X Road and surrounding areas.

What was once a five-minute commute between Uppal and Boduppal has now turned into a slow crawl for many residents as vehicles bound for the Hyderabad-Warangal Expressway are diverted through internal roads and alternate corridors.

Locals reported traffic jams and delays at unexpected hours. L. Niharika, a commuter traveling from Ramanthapur towards Turkayamjal, said the traffic started building up well before the peak office hours.

“Even at around 6am, there was heavy traffic towards Tarnak and Nagole. The turn was extremely congested due to the volume of traffic. It took me over 10 minutes to cross a stretch that would otherwise take four or five minutes even in peak hours,” she said.

The ongoing work has led to the creation of a three-way diversion system around the Uppal junction. According to traffic inspector G. Nagaraju of Uppal, the most preferred route at present is through the Survey of India road towards the Beerappagadda lane, which now carries 50-60% of the diverted traffic.

Another diversion route takes motorists through Uppal Bhagayath and Nalla Cheruvu road, while several commuters relying on Google Maps are taking the Habsiguda-Nacharam-NFC corridor after navigation apps started showing it as a faster route towards Warangal, the officer said.

Construction work is underway on the Narapally-Uppal flyover at Warangal in Hyderabad. | Photo credit: NAGARA GOPAL

While officials say the diversions have helped prevent extensive narrow gauges on the main road, the traffic burden is increasingly shifting to residential and commercial stretches that were never designed to handle a sustained flow of vehicles.

The worst-affected stretches include Raghavendra Colony Road, Laxma Reddy Colony Road, old Sub-Registrar Office Lane and Beerappagadda Road, where residents report traffic jams extending till late evenings.

Google Maps screenshot showing heavy traffic in residential lanes along the Uppal-Narapally stretch at 6.30pm on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Arrangements

“Since traffic diversions near Uppal flyover came into force, there has been a noticeable decrease in visitors. Earlier, people could reach Boduppal from Uppal in around five minutes, but now the journey takes almost 15 minutes due to traffic jams and diversions. Many customers are avoiding the stretch altogether,” we said to Sai Nikhil’s mobile phone for now. Boduppal main road.

Residents living along the diversion corridors say the impact now goes beyond traffic delays and disrupts daily life inside the colonies.

“Parking has become a major problem. As the diversions have increased the travel time, people are hastily parking along the road to save time before catching the metro instead of using the dedicated parking lot, choking the already narrow side street,” said Narotham Reddy, owner of a men’s hostel on Raghavendra Colony Road.

“We have informed the traffic police officers on the road, but nothing has changed so far. Due to the lack of space, we are forced to keep our own vehicles parked on the premises of the hostel. Even around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m., the road remains crowded with vehicles. The worst are the evening hours, when commuters spend an extra 10 to 15 minutes in traffic,” he added.

He commutes through a massive traffic jam on Uppal X Road in Hyderabad. | Photo credit: G RAMAKRISHNA

Nagaraju said that bumper-to-bumper traffic is seen especially in Laxma Reddy Colony and the old lane of the Sub-Registrar’s office, where several two-wheeler riders try to take wrong shortcuts despite barricades, signage and police deployment.

“A permitted diversion only adds about half a kilometer of extra travel distance and about 2-3 minutes of travel time. However, some commuters drive in the opposite direction in an attempt to save a few minutes, resulting in temporary congestion,” he said.

Published – 23 May 2026 22:10 IST