Gadkari Yields to AP CM’s Proposal for Major Road Projects

Vijayawada: Union National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with AP Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 29 national highway projects of 272-km length on Saturday involving an investment of over ₹5,233 crore.

Union ministers Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma and Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, MPs, MLAs and senior officials participated in the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari reiterated his commitment to approve highway projects worth another ₹1 lakh crore within the year. “Aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these projects are designed to eliminate accident-prone black spots and railway crossings, reduce transportation costs, strengthen last-mile connectivity in rural and tribal areas, and decongest key urban centres, such as Tirupati, Nellore, and Rayachoty — thereby positioning Andhra Pradesh at the forefront of India’s growth story.”

Naidu praised the Union minister’s highway execution capabilities. “Thanks to Gadkari’s initiatives, India is constructing 37 kilometres of highways daily,” he noted. Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s infrastructure potential, Naidu announced plans for 20 new ports under the hub-and-spoke model, leveraging the state's abundant rivers and canals. He stressed the goal of transforming AP into a global logistics hub, with more dry ports coming up across the state.

The Chief Minister appealed to the Centre for construction of a 189-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) around Amaravati and metro rail projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. He reiterated the state’s commitment to produce biofuels and stressed the need for bullet trains connecting Amaravati with Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, which would benefit over 4 crore people.

“Our focus is not only on welfare but also on creating world-class infrastructure to drive the economic growth in Andhra Pradesh,” Naidu emphasised.

Responding to the request of the AP CM, Gadkari announced a series of major road projects including Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway expansion to six lanes involving ₹6,700 crore, ₹2,600 crore Vijayawada-Machilipatnam road expansion to six lanes, ₹2,605 crore Vinukonda-Guntur road upgradation to four lanes, ₹2,000 crores Guntur-Nizampatnam road Four-lane expansion, ₹4,200 crore Buggakayapa-Giddalur four-laning, and ₹2,500 crore Akiveedu-Digamarra four-laning, apart from Pedana-Lakshmipuram and Muddunuru-Kadapa roads.

In addition to these projects, the Union minister also approved a Greenfield highway connecting Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

Gadkari supported AP’s case for usage of surplus river waters saying, "Every year, thousands of TMCs of Godavari water is going waste into the sea. We do not have a water scarcity problem in our country, rather water management is a significant issue. This is why disputes arise between states," he pointed out.