Andhra govt unveils Rs 4,500 crore plan to upgrade 15,000 km of roads

Amaravati, Sep 26 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that the state government has formulated an action plan to improve nearly 15,000 km of roads under the Roads and Buildings Department, with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore.

Addressing the Assembly on logistics and related issues, Naidu said reducing logistics costs will also lower production costs.

"This year, we will work on all these. This government will take responsibility for laying better roads to go to any village. There will not be any issue with any road. We will make those arrangements," he added, outlining the action plan.

Highlighting the importance of roads, the chief minister said, "Roads indicate culture, and in a civilised world, good roads are a basic requirement, though we may talk about IT, technology or whatever." Under the Rs 4,500-crore action plan, he said, riding surfaces will be improved for 1,250 km of roads at a cost of Rs 400 crore; upgrades carried out for 1,433 km of state highways and other roads at Rs 600 crore, and intensive patch work undertaken for 5,946 km of roads at Rs 500 crore.

The plan also includes upgrades to an additional 2,104 km of state highways and other roads at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, along with similar improvements to 4,233 km of roads at Rs 2,000 crore.

According to the CM, the total road network in the southern state extends to 1.6 lakh km, comprising 8,360 km of national highways, 12,643 km of state highways, 32,780 km of major district roads, 25,670 km of municipal roads, and 80,486 km of panchayat roads.

He said 23 port and harbour road connectivity projects, covering 432 km, have been identified at a cost of Rs 18,485 crore.

He added that 4,739 km of national highway projects are currently underway in Andhra Pradesh, being developed at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

The TDP supremo highlighted that Andhra Pradesh boasts a 1,053 km-long coastline, enabling it to export goods globally and import products for the country.

Naidu said the state will collaborate with leading shipping players such as Maersk, DP World, and others to enhance logistics operations and reduce costs.

He expressed confidence that Bhogapuram Airport near Vizag will be operational by August 2026 and added that Amaravati Airport is planned to be developed as the gateway hub for the east.

Currently, Naidu said, Andhra Pradesh has six operational airports, one under construction, and eight more in development, along with other infrastructure initiatives. PTI STH SSK