Naidu sets 2029 deadline for Rs.1.40L-cr highway projects

Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to ensure that national highway projects worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore currently underway in Andhra Pradesh are completed by 2029, stressing the need for a time-bound action plan to accelerate construction.

Reviewing national and state highway projects at his camp office on Thursday, the Chief Minister called for coordinated efforts between the National HighwaysAuthority of India (NHAI), the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and state agencies to meet the ambitious targets. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh must emerge as a national benchmark in timely project execution and infrastructure development. The CM instructed officials to strengthen road connectivity to major ports, includingMulapeta, Visakhapatnam,Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, and Krishnapatnam.

He said highway corridors should link hinterland regions with these ports to facilitate freight movement not only within Andhra Pradesh but also from neighbouring states. Naidu directed officials to prepare plans for upgrading existing two-lane national highways into four-lane and six-lane corridors. He ordered that ongoing national highway projects worth Rs 42,194 crore be completed by December next year.

The Chief Minister also set a 2027 deadline for the completion of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, which connects to Amaravati. He further instructed officials to expedite the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the proposed Kharagpur–Amaravati Greenfield Expressway.

Highlighting the importance of regional connectivity, Naidu directed that road corridors be developed linking Nagpur to Machilipatnam via Vijayawada, and connecting Raipur, Jagdalpur, Mulapeta Port, and Amaravati. He said priority approvals must be obtained for strategic road projects and proposals to the Centre should be submitted without delay.

The Chief Minister also reviewed plans to expand the state’s road network. Officials informed him that 6,054 km of roads would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore under a new action plan. They said modern technologies, including Danish fibre, waste plastic bitumen, and nano-concrete developed by IIT Tirupati, were being tested in road construction.

Naidu directed that pothole-free roads must be ensured across the state’s 45,000 km network of state and district roads. The CM instructed officials to secure adequate funds for road maintenance and to monitor road conditions using Road Asset Management System (RAMS) technology. He said 12 roads covering 709 km would be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Special focus was also placed on strengthening road infrastructure in the combined East and West Godavari districts. Roads and buildings minister BC Janardhan Reddy, Special CS M T Krishnababu, and NHAI officials attended the review meeting.