HYDERABAD: Three railway level-crossing gates in the city are all set to be dismantled and ease vehicular traffic flow. The comforting move for commuters comes from the city's rich harvest in the Railway Ministry's bounty for the State in the form of a record number of Road Over Bridges.

The Centre's sanction of 20 road over bridges (ROBs) with an estimated cost of Rs. 260 crores for the State this year includes three in the city at different level crossings. The ROBs were sanctioned in lieu of level crossing gates situated on the National, State Highways and in municipal limits and to ease vehicular traffic.

In the city, one road under bridge (RUB) will be constructed between Sanathnagar and Moulali at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.5 crores. The cost will be completely borne by South Central Railway (SCR). The other two ROBs in the city will be at Huppuguda-Falaknuma and Yakutpura-Huppuguda regions.

The SCR and the State Government will take up the work on a cost-sharing basis for the rest of the 20 bridges.

"Never before in the history of SCR were so many bridges sanctioned. Last year, only four bridges at an estimated cost of Rs. 13.88 crore were sanctioned and the construction work has also been completed for the sanctioned bridges," said an official spokesperson.

To be dismantled

Once the ROBs and RUBs are completed, the level-crossing gates could be dismantled, he added.

According to official sources, of the estimated cost of Rs. 260 crores, the Railways would be investing nearly Rs. 109 crores for the construction work on the tracks alone while the State Government would spend nearly Rs. 152 crore on the alignment and laying of approach roads near the bridges.

SCR has already allotted Rs. 5.25 crores for the current financial year for the works under different phases.

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