The project, formally titled Systematic Augmented Radial Traffic and Hoop Induction, will introduce an integrated Intelligent Traffic Management System across 101 traffic junctions in the city.

Officials said the initiative is designed to address traffic congestion challenges arising from rapid urban expansion, increasing vehicle ownership and economic activity in Visakhapatnam.

Project SARTHI is aligned with the government's objective of developing an AI-enabled, citizen-centric administration by shifting from manual systems to predictive and performance-based traffic management.

The system will deploy adaptive traffic control, red-light violation detection, automatic number plate recognition, helmet and triple-riding detection, wrong-way driving alerts, non-standard number plate identification, pedestrian signal systems and command-and-control integration.

A proof of concept for facial recognition was earlier conducted at Satyam Junction in March, demonstrating its ability to identify wanted persons under challenging conditions, including masks and helmets.

One of the key components of the project is the Adaptive Traffic Control System, which will adjust signal timings based on real-time traffic flow to reduce congestion and improve junction efficiency.

It will also enable green corridor synchronisation for emergency vehicles and VIP movement along major routes, including national highway corridors, Railway Station Road and BRTS routes.

The system will integrate traffic engineering, AI-based violation detection, automated evidence capture, e-challan generation, pedestrian safety mechanisms, command-centre monitoring and Transport Department databases on a single platform.

The financial model includes 60 per cent capital expenditure support from the government, amounting to `49.54 crore. The remaining capital expenditure and five-year operation and maintenance cost of `49.65 crore will be borne by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) through its own funds and e-challan revenue.

The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) will contribute `20 crore. A dedicated escrow account will be maintained to ensure transparency and performance-based payments to the implementing agency.

A district-level committee chaired by the Visakhapatnam district collector has been constituted to monitor implementation and review progress every quarter. The panel will include GVMC, police, transport and APSRTC officials.

Officials said the project is expected to serve as a model for other urban centres in Andhra Pradesh by integrating AI-based enforcement, adaptive signalling and pedestrian safety systems under a unified framework.

Minister for municipal administration and urban development P. Narayana described the initiative as a landmark step towards improving traffic discipline, reducing congestion and strengthening road safety in Visakhapatnam.