Vijayawada: The Centre has agreed to widen the national highway along the sea coast from Ongole to Rajahmundry. The existing narrow NH-216 will be upgraded to four-lane and six-lane highways. The widening of the NH along the coast is expected to boost the marine cargo transport and attract new investments into the sector. It will also boost the economy of fishermen villages along the coast in Bapatla, Krishna, and the two Godavari districts.
The Centre conceded to the state govt’s demand after the director general of ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), Dharmananda Sarangi, inspected the highway recently. He noticed the need to upgrade the NH into four and six lanes after travelling from Chirala to Kattipudi. He directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to immediately send a report to get clearance from the ministry, and also directed authorities to float tenders inviting consultants to ready the detailed project report (DPR) for the project.
The DPR would be readied for the stretch from Kattipudi (near Rajahmundry) to Machilipatnam in the first phase, and Machilipatnam to Ongole in the second phase. While a 229 km stretch would be covered in the first phase, another 161 km would be covered in the next phase. Upgradation of the 390km-long national highway is likely to transform the entire coastline into an attractive investment option for marine exporters as well as cold chain operators.
It will also help the state to make a big pitch for development of beach tourism. In fact, over a dozen beach resorts have come up in and around Chirala town which are attracting huge number of visitors. The govt is expecting more such beach resorts, thanks to its new tourism policy.
Sources said the NHAI has decided to take up a new bypass near Bhimavaram to clear the hurdles to the long-pending project. In fact, the Centre had granted funds for widening of Pamarru-Digamarru-Akiveedu stretch about three years ago. However, the works could not be taken up due to some legal issues on the stretch near Bhimavaram. The delay in finalisation of alignment kept the project on hold for several years.
The Centre conceded to the state govt’s demand after the director general of ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), Dharmananda Sarangi, inspected the highway recently. He noticed the need to upgrade the NH into four and six lanes after travelling from Chirala to Kattipudi. He directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to immediately send a report to get clearance from the ministry, and also directed authorities to float tenders inviting consultants to ready the detailed project report (DPR) for the project.
The DPR would be readied for the stretch from Kattipudi (near Rajahmundry) to Machilipatnam in the first phase, and Machilipatnam to Ongole in the second phase. While a 229 km stretch would be covered in the first phase, another 161 km would be covered in the next phase. Upgradation of the 390km-long national highway is likely to transform the entire coastline into an attractive investment option for marine exporters as well as cold chain operators.
It will also help the state to make a big pitch for development of beach tourism. In fact, over a dozen beach resorts have come up in and around Chirala town which are attracting huge number of visitors. The govt is expecting more such beach resorts, thanks to its new tourism policy.
Sources said the NHAI has decided to take up a new bypass near Bhimavaram to clear the hurdles to the long-pending project. In fact, the Centre had granted funds for widening of Pamarru-Digamarru-Akiveedu stretch about three years ago. However, the works could not be taken up due to some legal issues on the stretch near Bhimavaram. The delay in finalisation of alignment kept the project on hold for several years.
