The much-anticipated development of the Nellore–Badvel National Highway is set to commence soon, promising a major boost to road connectivity across three industrial corridors in Andhra Pradesh. According to TDP MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy from Nellore, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the construction of a four-lane corridor between Nellore and Badvel in Kadapa district last year.
Project Details
The 108-kilometer stretch, part of National Highway-67, will be developed at a cost of ₹3,600 crore under the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) mode. The approved Badvel–Nellore corridor is expected to enhance connectivity to key nodes in Andhra Pradesh's three industrial corridors: 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).
Route and Connectivity
The corridor will begin at Gopavaram village on the existing NH-67 in YSR Kadapa district and end at the Krishnapatnam Port junction on NH-16 (Chennai–Kolkata) in SPSR Nellore district. It will provide strategic connectivity to Krishnapatnam Port, identified as a priority node under the CBIC. The MP highlighted that the project will reduce the travel distance to Krishnapatnam Port by 33.9 kilometers—from the current 142 km to 108.13 km—and cut travel time by nearly an hour.
Economic and Environmental Impact
Vemireddy noted that the reduced travel distance and time will lead to substantial savings in fuel consumption, lower vehicle operating costs, and a reduced carbon footprint. The project is also expected to have a positive impact on India's Logistics Performance Index (LPI).
Employment Generation
The 108.134-kilometer project is anticipated to generate around 20 lakh man-days of direct employment and 23 lakh man-days of indirect employment. Additionally, increased economic activity along the corridor will create further job opportunities.
This development marks a significant step toward improving infrastructure and boosting economic growth in the region.
