Centre approves 4-Lane corridor to Krishnapatnam Port

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the construction of a 108.134 km long, 4-lane Badvel–Nellore Corridor. The cost of the project is estimated to be around ₹3,653.10 crore.

This project will improve accessibility to key nodes in the three Industrial Corridors of Andhra Pradesh: the Kopparthy Node on the Visakhapatnam–Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC), the Orvakal Node on the Hyderabad–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC), and the Krishnapatnam Node on the Chennai–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). Adding further, it is expected to positively impact the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the country.

The Badvel–Nellore Corridor will start from Gopavaram Village on the existing National Highway NH-67 in the YSR Kadapa District and terminate at the Krishnapatnam Port Junction on NH-16 (Chennai–Kolkata) in the SPSR Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. It will also provide strategic connectivity to Krishnapatnam Port, which has been identified as a priority node under the Chennai–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), the Cabinet Committee said in a release.

This project will reduce the travel distance to Krishnapatnam Port by 33.9 km—from 142 km to 108.13 km—compared to the existing Badvel–Nellore Road, and will reduce travel time by approximately one hour.

Furthermore, the project is expected to generate around 20 lakh man-days of direct employment and 23 lakh man-days of indirect employment. Alongside this, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also approved two multi-tracking projects across Indian Railways, aimed at providing seamless and faster transportation of both passengers and goods. These railway projects will cost approximately ₹3,399 crore and are expected to be completed by 2029–30.

The railway initiative aims to improve travel convenience, reduce logistics costs, decrease oil imports, and contribute to lower CO₂ emissions, supporting sustainable and efficient rail operations. These improvements are expected to optimize supply chains, thereby facilitating accelerated economic growth.