The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a four-lane highway corridor from Badvel to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The project will follow the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model and involves an estimated capital cost of Rs 36.53 billion.

The corridor will connect critical industrial nodes such as Kopparthy on the Vishakhapatnam–Chennai Industrial Corridor, Orvakal on the Hyderabad–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, and Krishnapatnam on the Chennai–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. It will begin at Gopavaram Village on National Highway-67 in YSR Kadapa District and end at Krishnapatnam Port Junction on National Highway-16 in SPSR Nellore District.

By reducing the travel distance from 142 km to 108.13 km, the corridor will improve logistics and provide strategic access to Krishnapatnam Port.

Additionally, two multitracking railway projects between Ratlam–Nagda and Wardha–Balharshah have been approved at a combined cost of Rs 33.99 billion, aiming to expand the rail network by 176 km by 2029–30.

Source:Deccan Herald