HYDERABAD: The 11.5-km-long PV Narasimha Rao (PVNR) Expressway, one of the longest flyovers in the country, continues to struggle with inadequate safety measures, even as accidents on the stretch have more than doubled over the past year, from five in 2024 to 13 in 2025.
A ground visit by TOI revealed that several critical safety measures recommended by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) during its safety audit of the corridor are either missing or poorly maintained. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has reportedly failed to implement measures such as adequate rumble strips, surveillance cameras and road markings along the expressway.
Expert Recommendations Ignored
“We submitted several recommendations to HMDA as early as 2010 to improve safety on the PVNR Expressway. These included transverse bar markings to alert drivers to upcoming hazards, crash barriers at sharp curves, crash-absorbing devices and glare cutters. However, when I travelled on the flyover again two years ago, I found little evidence of improvement or implementation of these critical safety measures,” said K Ravinder, chief scientist at CRRI.
Speed Trap Concerns
Adding to the concerns are outdated speed-limit signboards and a lack of warning signs around accident hotspots and other critical sections. During the visit, several vehicles were found travelling at speeds exceeding 100 kmph, against the prescribed limit of 60 kmph. Despite the narrow carriageway, motorists were also seen overtaking at high speeds. In fact, the absence of crash barriers along sections of the expressway has emerged as another major safety concern. With medians measuring barely a foot in height across the corridor, vehicles can easily cross into the opposite carriageway when drivers lose control.
Recent Accident Highlights Dangers
The danger was evident in an accident last month in which two people were injured after a car overturned on the PVNR Expressway. The vehicle, carrying five occupants, was travelling from RGIA towards Mehdipatnam when the driver lost control and crashed into the divider. The impact caused the car to flip over onto the opposite side of the road.
Police say the absence of CCTV cameras on the flyover often hampers accident investigations. “We have written to HMDA seeking installation of surveillance cameras at strategic locations. In accidents on city roads, we rely on CCTV footage or eyewitness accounts to ascertain the cause. On the PVNR Expressway, both are often unavailable, making investigations challenging,” said Rahul Hegde, DCP III (Traffic), Hyderabad City Police.
Officials added that accidents on the expressway frequently lead to massive traffic congestion, requiring recovery vehicles to be rushed to the spot to clear stranded vehicles and restore traffic movement.
Expert Views on Safety Interventions
Experts say the expressway was originally designed for operating speeds of around 50-60 kmph, making excessive speeding a major safety concern. At present, only one traffic policeman equipped with a speed laser gun is deployed near the Shamshabad airport end of the expressway.
“There are several S-curves on the flyover, and it is practically impossible to alter its design, alignment or structure,” said Vinod Kanumala, road safety co-founder of Indian Federation of Road Safety. “However, safety interventions such as proper road markings, warning signboards at black spots and curves, and CCTV surveillance are essential. Many of these measures are still missing,” he added.
Times View
We don’t need a bad accident or some other tragedy to happen on the PVNR Expressway to wake up to this key infrastructure’s maintenance needs. The authorities must immediately act on the recommendations of the Central Road Research Institute and make the stretch safe for commuters.
