HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL) will appoint a safety consultant to conduct a comprehensive road safety audit of the 158-km Outer Ring Road (ORR), which has witnessed dozens of fatal crashes in recent years.
The consultant will collect accident data from police stations and other sources. It will analyse the data to identify hazardous locations and accident blackspots.
"We will collect data on all accidents on the ORR from police stations and other sources. We will analyse fatal and grievous injury crashes to identify road safety hazards and blackspots," a Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) official told Deccan Chronicle.
Traffic surveys to cover peak hours and high-risk locations
The consultant will conduct traffic surveys for at least eight hours a day. The survey will include four hours during the morning peak and four hours during the afternoon or evening peak. In addition, survey timings will match the hours when crashes occur most often.
If required, the consultant may extend the surveys to 16 or 24 hours based on traffic flow, site conditions and accident patterns.
The audit will cover the ORR's main carriageway, service roads, interchanges, toll plazas, entry and exit ramps, vehicular underpasses, pedestrian underpasses, bridges, culverts, slip roads, median openings, utility crossings and other road infrastructure.
Recommendations to focus on engineering and safety improvements
HGCL is carrying out the audit under the agreement it signed with IRB Golconda Expressway Private Limited in May 2023. The company oversees certain maintenance activities on the ORR.
The consultant will inspect accident-prone locations and carry out an operational-stage road safety audit. It will then submit a report with recommendations to improve roads, bridges, culverts, pavement markings, traffic signs and road furniture. The report will also suggest improvements for cattle crossings, pedestrian crossings and other project facilities.
Moreover, the consultant will conduct topographical surveys at identified blackspots. These surveys will document road geometry and existing hazards. The consultant will also carry out hourly traffic volume counts, turning movement counts at junctions, interchanges and major underpasses, and directional traffic counts at mid-block sections wherever needed.