Four-lane highways to connect all Andhra Pradesh ports: union minister

Visakhapatnam: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said all ports in Andhra Pradesh will be connected via four-lane highways at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore. These port connectivity-enhancing roads will be built irrespective of whether a port is a minor, major, state, or private establishment.

Speaking at the Global Investors Summit (GIS), he said the passing of three industrial corridors, Visakhapatnam - Chennai, Chennai - Bengaluru, and Hyderabad - Bengaluru, through the state has been crucial for this decision. He also vowed to bring down the cost of logistics in five years which is at 16% and a big problem in the country. It is 10% in China and 12% in the US and Europe.

"I always tell people about the famous statement of American President John Kennedy that American roads are not good because America is rich but America is rich because Americans roads are good," he said about the road infrastructure of the state. He observed that transporting goods between Chhattisgarh and Visakhapatnam used to be a difficult task, and decided to construct Raipur - Visakhapatnam expressway corridor, which will slash travel time to five-and-half hours.

"The Road Transport and Highways Ministry is in the process of making electric highways and termed hydrogen as the fuel of the future. The Ministry is checking the feasibility of laying optic-fibre cables on the roadside, piloting between Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It is concentrating on the development of greenfield expressways, which are key for industrial development. No one will invest without these. Five greenfield expressways are being developed at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore," he added.