VMRDA Set To Lay Seven Master Plan Roads In Vizag At A Cost Of Rs 154 Cr

Visakhapatnam: The connectivity woes in the fast growing city of Visakhapatnam may get some respite with the Andhra Pradesh Government giving the green signal to construction of seven roads proposed by the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) as per its master plan.

The development of the seven roads in AP's largest city will involve an investment of Rs154 crore. An official of Municipal Administration and Urban Development told Bizz Buzz that the roads will increase the mobility and connectivity. The total stretch of the roads will be 26.7 km. The master plan moots connecting the beach road with the National Highway-16 for decongestion of the traffic mainly keeping in view the decision to make Bhogapuram International Airport, located at about 40 km from here, operational ahead of schedule by June, 2026.

GMR Group, which signed the concession agreement for developing the green airport in phases, has awarded the construction work for the first phase to L&T. The first phase is envisaged with an investment of Rs4,500 crore.

The roads proposed from Divi's Lab to Chippada over a stretch of 6.32 km will be laid at a cost of Rs37 crore. A 24-meter road over a length of four km will be laid to connect Nerellavalasa to Tallavalasa enroute Dorathota Road near Vellanki at a cost of Rs4 crore.

Another 30-meter road over a stretch of 3.1 km is cleared between Pardesipalem on the highway to Boyyapalem JUnction at a cost of Rs7.46 crore. Gambhiram to NH-16 will get a 2.2 km road at a cost of nearly Rs12 crore. Another road linking Paradesipalem to Gambheeram with a stretch of 1.4 km will be laid at a cost of Rs5.6 crore. A 30--meter road from Shivshakti Nagar to VUDA 30-meter road near Haritha gated community will come up at a cost of Rs7.6 crore.

The State has already sought 100 per cent funding for Visakhapatnam Metro Rail Project and Beach Corridor Project connecting Bhogapuram to Visakhapatnam from the Centre given by the precarious financial position of Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation.

The Bhogapuram International Airport is designed to handle six million passengers in the first phase and 12 million passengers once it becomes fully operational in three phases.

During his recent meeting with Union Minister for Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sought 100 per cent funding as part of Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Rs11,498-crore Visakhapatnam Metro Rail and Rs11,009-crore Vijayawada Metro Rail projects. The Beach Corridor Project is envisaged with the Central funding at a cost of Rs1,000 crore.

The master plan of VMRDA prepared for 2041, which is now undergoing a revision as per the directive of the TDP-led NDA coalition, aims to focus on public transport and transit-centric development to reduce dependence on private vehicles. It moots metro, bus rapid transit for sustainable development.