Field Visit Conducted for Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway Project Progress

Pattangi ,Feb, 18: The Raipur–Visakhapatnam economic corridor under the Bharatmala project is a prestigious highway project. This nearly 465-km road will be highly beneficial for Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. It will significantly reduce the distance between Raipur and Visakhapatnam, enabling travel between the two cities within about 5 to 6 hours. This will accelerate regional economic development.

According to National Highways Authority of India Director R. Venkateswarlu, the work is targeted for completion by this June.

Senior departmental officials inspected the Visakhapatnam–Raipur Corridor (NH-130CD). Addressing the media near Tunnel No. 8 at Raiguda in Sadar block, he said the road is a greenfield, access-controlled six-lane highway extending from Raipur to Visakhapatnam. The corridor is being built by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, at an estimated cost of about ₹16,000 crore. It has been designed for vehicle speeds of 100 km/h in plains and 80 km/h in hilly areas.

The corridor passes through Raipur, Dhamtari, and Kanker districts of Chhattisgarh; Nabarangpur and Koraput districts of Odisha; and Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. After completion, heavy and commercial vehicles will benefit greatly. The project has been divided into 15 packages under the Hybrid Annuity Model — 3 in Chhattisgarh, 8 in Odisha, and 4 in Andhra Pradesh. Out of three tunnels, one is in Chhattisgarh and two are in Pattangi block of Koraput district.

Several interchanges (entry/exit points) are planned near Kaliaaguda (NH-26) in Borigumma tehsil of Koraput district, Benasur MDR, Tala near NH-326, Lunguri near NALCO Chhak in Semiliguda tehsil, Jundili near NH-26, Baraj village MDR in Pattangi tehsil, and near Talagolur MDR close to Amphabali. In the Odisha package, a 3.42-km six-lane twin-section tunnel has been constructed with cross passages, jet fans, fire-fighting systems, and a control center. Once the corridor is completed, transportation and connectivity in the region will see major improvement.