Evaluating Road Network Complexity of Hyderabads Regional Ring Road Using Fractal Dimension

Urban growth in Hyderabad has accelerated the demand for efficient transport corridors, leading to the development of the Regional Ring Road (RRR). This study evaluates the northern section of the RRR (160 km) using Fractal Dimension (FD) analysis to understand its effect on road network complexity and connectivity. The box-counting method was applied in ArcGIS at multiple grid scales to compute FD in two scenarios: with and without the RRR’s Northern corridor. Results at the metropolitan scale show a measurable rise in FD after integrating the RRR, reflecting enhanced spatial coverage and improved connectivity.At the micro level, six representative zones (J1–J6) were analysed using combined FD and road density metrics to classify network typologies as Saturated, Fragmented, Emerging, and Inefficient. Zones such as Sangareddy (J1) and Bhongir (J5) showed high road density but low FD, classified as Inefficient, indicating unstructured layouts, while othersexhibited low density and poor integration. The findings highlight FD’s value as a diagnostic tool to guide infrastructure planning, ensuring balanced growth and better accessibility in rapidly expanding metropolitan regions