The Union Ministry of Road Transport and National Highways is set to invest nearly Rs 7,000 crore in Telangana to upgrade the existing national highway network in the new financial year 2023-2024. The main national highways connecting Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra states will be developed as six-lane and four-lane roads to accommodate the increasing vehicular traffic and ensure safe travel for commuters.
Recently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) conducted a study on the busy National Highway – 65 connecting Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The report revealed a significant increase in vehicular traffic on the 25-km stretch between LB Nagar and Malkapur over the last three years. As a result, the Union ministry has earmarked Rs 535 crore to upgrade the highway into six lanes. More than 60% of the funds will be utilized for land acquisition, as the land cost is high on this particular stretch. Once the 25-km highway is expanded into six lanes, the private agency maintaining the other stretch will also undertake upgradation works at identified spots on the busy highway.
The NHAI has also proposed Rs 355 crore funds to upgrade NH-765, which connects Medak-Siddipet on a 70 km stretch. The expansion of this highway will facilitate free flow of increasing vehicular traffic coming from Hyderabad and other parts of the state on this particular stretch.
The Centre has allocated Rs 322 crore to develop Kalwakurthi-Kolhapur junction on NH-167, which has been creating traffic jams during peak hours due to vehicular traffic from old Nalgonda district, Rangareddy, Hyderabad, and some Andhra districts. The expansion of this highway will not only ease traffic problems but also help develop the junction as an industrial hub in the future.
Other proposed developments include the expansion of Bodhan–Basara-Bhainsa connecting NH –161 at the cost of Rs 280 crore, the development of a four-lane network on NH -167 between Mahbubnagar and Chincholi at the cost of Rs 254 crore, and the expansion of NH-765 into two lanes between Siddipet and Elkathurthi at the cost of Rs 248 crore. Additionally, Rs 229 crore (Medak – Yellareddy), Rs 309 crore (Yellareddy – Rudrur on NH-765), Rs 273 crore (Khammam – Kuravi section on NH-365), Rs 247 crore (Adilabad junction on NH-353 B), Rs 200 crore (Nizampet to Bidar border on NH-161 B), and Rs 500 crore to construct a cable bridge across river Krishna on NH-167 will be spent for the development of highways in the new financial year.
