The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has sanctioned various highway projects for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Union roads minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday, October 14, made the announcement about the sanctioned projects for the Telugu states.
The ministry has sanctioned ₹516 crore for the construction of a 14 km long, 4-lane bypass for Nalgonda Town, from Nakrekal to Nagarjuna Sagar section of NH 565. The NH 565 is a national highway linking Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, beginning at its junction with NH 65 at Nakrekal in Telangana and passing through towns such as Nalgonda, Macherla, Erragondapalam, and Kanigiri.
“The existing section through Nalgonda Town experiences heavy mixed traffic, leading to congestion and long queues. This project will not only alleviate traffic in Nalgonda but also enhance road safety while improving connectivity between Nakrekal and Nagarjuna Sagar,” Gadkari stated.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy during a meeting with Gadkari in June had urged him to declare the southern part of the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) as a national highway and widen the Hyderabad – Vijayawada national highway to six lanes.
The Union Minister also announced that for Andhra Pradesh, the ministry sanctioned ₹400 crore for the development of 13 state roads, spanning a total distance of 200.06 km, under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) scheme.
“Additionally, we have approved ₹98 crore for the construction of a 4-lane Sankar Vilas Road Over Bridge (ROB) on the Guntur-Nallapadu railway section in Guntur district, as part of the CRIF Setu Bandhan scheme for the fiscal year 2024-25,” he added.
Last week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Gadkari in New Delhi and discussed the development of national and state highways in the state.
They discussed the development of Vijayawada Eastern Bypass, support for the development of State Highways through Government of India grants, fast-tracking of the Kuppam-Hosur Greenfield Project and ensuring completion within the stipulated time frame, development of the Mulapeta to Vizag greenfield coastal highway project, resolving the restrictions on the road to Bhogapuram Airport.
Naidu had also raised the issue of upgrading the Hyderabad-Vijayawada expressway from four to eight lanes to address high traffic and reduce accidents, development of greenfield express highway from Hyderabad to Amaravati and development of Outer Ring Road (ORR) for the capital region of Amaravati.