Bids invited for work on green highway in the Visakhapatnam District

The Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP) is expected to start soon in Visakhapatnam District. This project is being undertaken countrywide by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways with a loan of around $500 million from the World Bank. In this regard, the ministry has invited bids for the Visakhapatnam section of the project, which is expected to cost around Rs. 273 crore. 

In Visakhapatnam District, a green highway is to be developed on the Koyyuru-Araku stretch of NH-516E. This road passes through tribal areas of the Visakhapatnam District like Chintapalli, Lambasingi, Paderu and Araku. This stretch of the project is expected to cost around Rs. 1,600 crore. A major part of this proposed green highway is expected to have two lanes and will be made by employing greener, eco-friendly technologies and materials like industrial waste products.  

Once the bids are received, and a contract is signed, construction work can begin on this green highway. 

Under GNHCP, about 406 km of roads in the country will be converted into two-lane green highways. Rs. 457 crore is the estimated cost of the first three packages of this project, which will be spanning 137 km. The whole project is set to complete by December 2025. 

Back in July 2021, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had announced the ministry’s plans to develop this stretch in Visakhapatnam District into a green highway. The proposed road is expected to significantly improve connectivity from tribal areas to Visakhapatnam city.