Hyderabad, Jan. 12 -- Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway is witnessing severe traffic congestion due to the Sankranthi festival.

Since Friday, the festive traffic has escalated into a prolonged gridlock.

Major slowdowns, jams

At key bottleneck locations, the congestion is intense. Major slowdowns and jams are reported at ongoing underpass bridge construction sites near Chityal and Pedda Kaparthi.

Further delays are occurring at the major town crossings along the route, specifically in Choutuppal, Kattangur, and Suryapet.

In order to tackle the situation, the toll plaza operations have been significantly expanded. At the Pantangi toll plaza, 11 out of 16 total booths are now operational for traffic heading towards Vijayawada. Simil...