Raipur-Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor National Highway to be completed by 2024-25

The 464 km highway, running between the economic corridors of Raipur and Visakhapatnam, is expected to be completed by 2024-25, announced the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.

This announcement came in light when V Vijayasai Reddy, Member of Parliament, YSRCP posed a query in the Rajya Sabha on the policy under which the project will be undertaken. To which Mr Gadkari stated that the Raipur-Visakhapatnam Highway is an economic corridor approved under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I.

The Minister also informed that the said project will start from Abhanpur in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and cease at Sabbavaram in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. The entire stretch is a greenfield alignment with a 124 km segment passing through Chhattisgarh, 240 km through Odisha, and the final segment of 100 km through Andhra Pradesh. He added that the stretch has been notified as National Highway 130CD.

In addition, Mr. Gadkari also added that the Detailed Project Report (DPR), in the majority of the project portion, is ready and that the acquisition of land, forest, and environment clearance are in different stages of approval.

To recall, Mr. Gadkari had approved three highway projects in Andhra Pradesh. One of the projects is the widening and strengthening, of four lanes of the urban link of NH-42 in Ananthapur town, Andhra Pradesh. This was stated to be worth Rs. 311.93 crore.

Other development work of highways include those on the six-lane Korlam-Kantakapalle section, of NH-130-CD, worth Rs 772.70 crore, and the development of the six lane Kantakapalle-Sabbavaram section of NH-130-CD, worth Rs. 824.29 crore, under the Visakhapatnam-Raipur Economic Corridor.