Expansion works on Hyderabad-Vijayawada NH 65 set to begin soon

The works will be taken up from LB Nagar crossroads to Malkapur covering 25 km.

Hyderabad: In a major push for road infrastructure development in the State, the Telangana Roads and Buildings (R&B) department will soon take up expansion of the busy Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway 65 up to Malkapur at a cost of Rs.545 crore funded by the Central government.

The works will be taken up from LB Nagar crossroads to Malkapur covering 25 km. Once the expansion works are completed, the travel time from LB Nagar crossroads to Malkapur will be reduced to half-an-hour against the one hour it takes now, R&B officials said.

---

A key feature of the project that will be a boon for regular travellers between Hyderabad and Vijayawada using NH-65 is that pedestrians will not be allowed on the 25-km stretch, and eight underpasses and two Foot-over-Bridges will be constructed for their convenience.

The Central government has approved the project and will be funding the expansion of the NH, but it will be the State R&B department that will execute the work under the supervision of R&B Engineer-in-Chief I Ganapathi Reddy.

“If our plans fructify, we will be able to start the work within three months as tenders have already been called for,” a senior R&B official told Telangana Today.

He said the department was considering completing the project by the end of 2023. The expansion work would be carried out without acquiring land since there was 200-feet land available on either side of the existing highway. For any infrastructure project, land acquisition is crucial, but in the case of expansion work of NH-65 from LB Nagar crossroads to Malkapur with service roads, there will be no need for land acquisition because of availability of sufficient land, the officials said.

Explaining the project in detail, another official said 12-lanes including six-lane main carriage way would come up from LB Nagar crossroads to Outer Ring Road (ORR) while 10-lanes with six-lane main carriageway from ORR to Batasingaaram and from Batasingaaram to Malkapur, only main carriageway would come up.

No service roads will be constructed from Malkapur since the area was completely rural. The department will construct eight underpasses at Panama, Vanasthalipuram, Hayatnagar, Koheda Junction, Pedda Amberpet, Abdullapurmet, Inanguda and Batasingaram allowing locals to travel easily on service roads.

Of the two FoBs to be constructed on this highway, one will come up at Vanasthalipuram while the location of the second was yet to be finalized, officials added.

Project key features

• The cost of expansion work covering 25-km is Rs.545 crore
• Central government is funding the project
• Telangana R&B department is carrying out works
• Tenders were already called for
• Works are likely to commence in three months
• The project is expected to be completed by end of 2023
• Travel time will reduce once expansion works are completed
• Eight underpasses and two FoBs will be constructed