Kharagpur–Amaravati Greenfield Highway Gets Centre’s Approval

The Centre has approved a new 1,107-kilometre greenfield national highway connecting Kharagpur in West Bengal with Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, opening up a major new road corridor between eastern and central parts of the country.

The proposed highway is expected to provide an alternative route to the congested Kolkata–Chennai National Highway (NH-16), particularly for freight movement and long-distance travel. The project will pass through several districts in Andhra Pradesh and is expected to improve connectivity to regions that currently have fewer high-speed road links.

Around 457 kilometres of the proposed corridor will run through Andhra Pradesh. Of this, nearly 200 kilometres will pass through the remote tribal and agency areas of Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The highway will also traverse parts of East Godavari and Eluru districts.

The Andhra Pradesh portion of the project is estimated to cost around ₹32,000 crore. The overall project cost is expected to exceed ₹72,000 crore, underlining the scale of the proposed infrastructure investment.

District administrations along the route have been directed to initiate proposals related to land acquisition. The process is expected to be an important early step before construction activities can begin on the greenfield corridor.

The proposed route will also run parallel to sections of the ongoing ₹1,600-crore NH-516E project. Once developed, the new corridor is planned to integrate with the Amaravati Outer Ring Road, potentially creating stronger road connectivity around the Andhra Pradesh capital region.

For Andhra Pradesh, the project could have a wider impact beyond passenger travel. Improved road access through the state’s interior and tribal regions could support the movement of construction materials, agricultural produce and industrial goods while reducing travel times between key markets.

The corridor is also being viewed in the context of growing infrastructure activity around Amaravati. Its eventual integration with the Outer Ring Road could strengthen links between the capital region and major routes towards eastern India.

However, land acquisition and project execution will remain key milestones before the highway can move from approval to construction. The scale of the corridor, along with its passage through remote terrain, is likely to make implementation a significant infrastructure exercise.