Centre Identifies 384 Highway Black Spots in AP

The Centre has identified 384 accident-prone stretches (black spots) on National Highways across Andhra Pradesh, including 31 in SPSR Nellore district, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question raised by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy.

The Union minister said the black spots were identified using an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system developed by IIT Kanpur, based on accident data from 2023 to 2025.

East Godavari topped the list with 46 black spots, followed by Anakapalli (33), SPSR Nellore (31), Srikakulam (30) and Kakinada (28).

Gadkari said the Centre is implementing both short-term and long-term measures to improve road safety. Immediate interventions include the installation of warning signs, reflective road studs, guard rails, delineators, street lighting, speed-calming measures and the closure of unsafe median openings. Long-term measures include road redesign, junction improvements, road widening, and the construction of underpasses and overpasses.

He said independent road safety audits are conducted before newly constructed National Highways are opened to traffic, while periodic inspections continue after commissioning to identify emerging black spots. The e-DAR (Electronic Detailed Accident Report) system is also being used to monitor accident data continuously and facilitate timely corrective measures.

The Union minister said infrastructure improvements may take time because of land acquisition, forest clearances and the shifting of utility services such as power lines and water pipelines.