The central government has approved the conversion of a 100-km stretch of NH-16 into a fully access-controlled corridor, improving connectivity between Vijayawada and Bengaluru. The section runs from Muppavaram near Addanki in Prakasam district to Kaja near the Vijayawada bypass in Guntur district and will integrate with the under-construction Bengaluru-Amaravati greenfield expressway. The upgrade aims to provide faster and safer access to the Amaravati capital region and support regional logistics. A Bhopal-based contractor, LN Malviya, has been appointed to prepare the detailed project report within a year, covering land acquisition, engineering design, environmental impact assessment and project cost estimates. The existing carriageway is a six-lane highway but lacks adequate service roads, causing frequent interruptions as local traffic merges onto main lanes. The DPR will assess measures to resolve these issues before tenders are floated. The proposed design will include two-lane service roads on both sides to allow local vehicles to travel parallel to the main highway without entering high-speed lanes, and will eliminate direct access from villages and minor roads. Entry and exit points will be placed at Muppavaram, where the corridor links with the Amaravati Outer Ring Road, near Kaja at the Vijayawada bypass, and potentially at Chilakaluripet if required. Toll collection will be distance-based and applied only at designated points to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow. The project will connect with the 343-km Bengaluru-Vijayawada economic corridor, a six-lane greenfield access-controlled highway under construction from Kodur to Muppavaram, potentially reducing travel time from Bengaluru to the Amaravati region to seven to eight hours. Access-controlled design will remove at-grade intersections and unregulated entries, improving safety and reducing congestion while rerouting local traffic to service roads. Officials expect the corridor to enhance trade and regional economic growth by creating more efficient transport infrastructure.