Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday, September 22, laid the foundation stones for highway projects worth Rs 3,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh, an official statement said. The national highway projects, once completed, will provide greenfield road connectivity to Kakinada Special Economic Zone (SEZ), SEZ port, fishing harbour and Kakinada Anchorage Port. This will enable hassle-free export of rice, seafood, oil meals, iron ore, bio-fuel and granite, among others, through the Kakinada Port.
The Road Transport and Highways Minister said the projects include the construction of five flyovers. This would provide smooth and safe traffic movement for places like Namavaram, Satellite City, Mandapeta, Ramchandrapuram, Kakinada, Undarajavaram, Nidadavolu, Tanuku town and Kaikaram, he said. Special safety features will be ensured for the rectification of black spots.
The other three projects include four-laning of Vakalapudi-Uppada-Annavaram and Samarlakota-Achampeta Junction and the construction of two-lane with paved shoulders from Rampachodavaram to Koyyuru. Gadkari said these projects will provide road connectivity to religious locations such as Samarlakota, Annavaram Bikkavolu, Ryali and Pithapuram. He said they would also provide road connectivity to tribal areas such as Araku andLambasinghi and important tourist destinations of Andhra Pradesh such as Araku Valley. It would also provide safe, better and fast intra-state connectivity through Kakinada and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts, he added.
Foundation stones laying for 8 NH Projects worth Rs. 3000 Cr in Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh. #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti pic.twitter.com/b48RMCUsjU
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) September 22, 2022
Earlier in February, Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation for 51 road projects worth over Rs 21,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh, and also inaugurated a second flyover at Benz Circle in Vijayawada in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Union minister had said that by 2024, the Union government would spend Rs 3 lakh crore for the development of roads. Of the 23 Greenfield express highways the ministry has taken up, six fall in Andhra Pradesh, including the Raipur-Visakhapatnam (465 km) stretch that will be completed by 2024, Nagpur to Vijayawada highway which will be completed by 2025, the Chittoor-Thanjavur highway, Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru-Chennai highways which run through 85 km in Andhra Pradesh, all of which will be completed before 2025, he had said.