HYDERABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved widening of National Highway-167 from Gudebellur to Mahbubnagar (80.01 km) on the Hyderabad–Panaji Economic Corridor to four lanes at a cost of Rs 3,175.08 crore under Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the existing stretch between Gudebellur and Mahbubnagar faces significant travel time delays due to poor road geometry and congestion in town areas, passing through urbanised locations such as Gudebellur, Magnoor, Makthal, Marikal, Devarkadra, Jaklair, Yeligandla and Banderpally.
The four-lane project is expected to benefit Narayanpet and Mahbubnagar districts by improving freight efficiency, reducing logistics costs and boosting socio-economic growth. MoRTH said the alignment connects with two major National Highways — NH-150 and NH-167N — ensuring seamless access to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Telangana. The upgraded corridor will also provide connectivity to three PM GatiShakti Economic Nodes, nine Social Nodes and seven Logistic Nodes, facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers.
“Upon completion, the NH-167 upgradation work will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centres and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development. The proposed access-controlled 4-lane project with a length of 80.01 km will thus generate close to 14.4 lakh person-days of direct employment and 17.9 lakh person-days of indirect employment. The project will also induce additional employment opportunities due to an increase in economic activity in the vicinity of the proposed corridors,” MoRTH added