Hyderabad: A new expressway slicing through farmlands and river plains between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is fast nearing completion, promising to dramatically reshape travel across the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam corridor. The 162-km access-controlled greenfield highway from Khammam to Devarapalle, being built by the National Highways Authority of India under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, will be Telangana’s first such corridor when opened — offering a faster, safer alternative to congested existing routes. The new alignment is expected to cut the Rajahmundry-Hyderabad distance by 56 km and shorten the Khammam-Devarapalle stretch by 24 km, potentially reducing travel time by two to four hours. It will also ease traffic pressure on busy highways such as NH-65 and NH-16. Running from Thallampadu to Devarapalle, the four-lane project has been divided into five construction packages, with 105.24 km in Telangana and 56.89 km in Andhra Pradesh. Estimated to cost around ₹3,700 crore, the corridor reflects three years of large-scale engineering and land development. Extensive infrastructure has been created along the Telangana stretch, including dozens of major bridges and over 170 culverts to span rivers, streams and local crossings. Controlled entry and exit points through interchanges, along with truck lay-bys, rest areas, toll plazas and ramp connections, are designed to ensure smooth high-speed movement. The project was originally conceived in 2017 as a plan to widen existing two-lane roads over about 182 km, but approval was granted a year later for a completely new greenfield alignment through largely uninhabited terrain. Land acquisition P Siva Sankar, regional officer of the National Highways Authority of India, said land acquisition was among the biggest challenges, with 554 hectares acquired in Telangana alone. Compensation disputes initially slowed progress but were later resolved through arbitration. Engineers also faced a shortage of soil and used fly ash as an alternative material. In addition, 17 high-tension power lines had to be relocated, while construction teams worked through two years of heavy rainfall and flooding. Despite these hurdles, 116 km has already been completed, with the remaining stretch targeted for completion by May. Beyond connectivity, the highway will feature solar-powered lighting, landscaped medians, emergency access points and modern traffic management systems, positioning it as a major transport spine between the two states and a transformative link along the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam axis.
