Rs. 3,000 Crore Road Repair Drive to Make AP Pothole-Free
Under Mission Pothole-Free Andhra Pradesh, road works covering 20,060 km were taken up during 2024–25 at a cost of Rs.861 crore, with works currently in progress.
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has set a target of making roads across the state pothole-free, with major repair works scheduled to be completed by the end of January, roads and buildings, infrastructure and investments minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy said on Tuesday.
Addressing a media conference at the Secretariat in Velagapudi, the minister said the government had sanctioned ₹3,000 crore for the repair and development of 10,294 km of roads across the State. He said road infrastructure had been accorded top priority since the coalition government assumed office, with funds released in a timely manner to accelerate works.
Under Mission Pothole-Free Andhra Pradesh, road works covering 20,060 km were taken up during 2024–25 at a cost of Rs.861 crore, with works currently in progress. For 2025–26, the government sanctioned ₹2,500 crore to restore and upgrade 6,035 km of roads damaged by heavy rains and cyclones such as Montha and Ditwa. Proposals seeking an additional `500 crore for repairs to 4,259 km of Major District Roads (MDRs) and State Highways have been submitted to the finance department.
The minister said `400 crore in assistance had been secured from NABARD to improve 191 MDRs spanning 1,250 km. Of these, 52 works have been completed and 132 are in progress. Under the State Highway Development Plan, tenders have been awarded for 139 works covering 856 km at an estimated cost of ₹400 crore, with most works under way.
MDR works under various schemes are targeted for completion by March 2026, while additional MDR and State Highway projects worth ₹1,000 crore are expected to be completed by May 2026.
To improve connectivity, 85 roads linking villages with mandal and district headquarters are being upgraded under the NDB scheme, with 682 km being widened from single-lane to two-lane roads.
On future expansion, Janardhan Reddy said the State was exploring PPP, BOT and Hybrid Annuity models to widen 20 high-traffic State Highways. He clarified that tolls would not be levied on two-wheelers, autorickshaws or tractors, and would apply only to cars and goods vehicles.
Government Special Chief Secretary M T Krishnababu said toll charges would be people-friendly and announced that works on the Guntur–Tulluru road, sanctioned at ₹8.5 crore, would commence shortly. He added that tenders had been floated for 85 per cent of the ₹3,000-crore road works and that enhanced monitoring mechanisms had been put in place.
