NHAI to lay 717-km of roads in State

Minister for Roads and Buildings Dharmana Krishna Das has said that ₹1,700 crore will be spent on development of roads in the State.

Participating in a review meeting held by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture here on Tuesday, Mr. Krishna Das said that a decision, in principle, had been taken by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to lay 11 roads in a stretch of 717 km in the State as national highways. The government had sought the development of 17 roads in a stretch of 1,612 km in the State at national highways.

A proposal was submitted to widen roads in a stretch of 260 km as part of seven projects at a cost of ₹1,700 crore this year. Mr. Krishna Das appealed to the NHAI officials to begin the work at the earliest.

“As many as 432 black spots (accident-prone zones) in the State. Of these, 76 have already been rectified while 41 are being re-designed. The work is yet to start at 316 black spots,” said the Minister.

Giving more details, Mr. Krishna Das said nine black spots have been identified in Rajamahendravaram, which requires construction of flyovers and underpasses. The Benz Circle flyover in Vijayawada is being widened into a three-lane one by the NHAI. The move would ease traffic congestion. However, another three-lane flyover is needed to ensure smooth flow of vehicles.

Expressway project

“The State government has already expressed its willingness to bear 50% of the land acquisition cost for the construction of the Anantpur – Amaravati Expressway,” he added.

Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman T.G. Venkatesh said that the NHAI should undertake news initiative to bring down road accidents. The implementation of FASTag would prevent long wait at the toll gates on national highways.

Standing Committee members Araku MP G. Madhavi, Principal Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu, A.P. Tourism CEO Pravin Kumar and Nellimarla MLA B. Appala Naidu were among those who participated in the meeting.

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