HYDERABAD: Vehicles bound for Kolkata from Chennai need not even touch the busy Vijayawada city in future. Gammon India has secured work for constructing a 103-km four-lane road from Kaza junction near Guntur to join the national highway no. 5 at Chinaoutpalli, beyond Gannavaram, after crossing the Krishna river upstream of Kanakadurgamma Varadhi. Vehicles from Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana too need not enter Vijayawada to proceed towards Kolkata.
Now, vehicles from Chennai side pass through Vijayawada touching the Benz Circle, after crossing Kanakadurgamma Varadhi and skew bridge, to proceed towards Eluru. The Union ministry of road transportation has proposed a bridge on Krishna river linking Mangalgiri and Surayyapalem near Vijayawada and to construct a bypass road from Surayyapalem to Gundugolanu via Jakkampudi, Nunna and Gannavaram. The road will connect to NH 5 at Chinaoutpalli, crossing NH 9 at Surayyapalem.
The project cost is estimated at Rs 1,500 crore--for bridge construction, four-line road and land acquisition and rehabilitation. The National Highway Authority has invited e-tenders and many companies have sent bids. Gammon India has offered to pay Rs 57 crore to the government every year, besides of bearing the construction cost of the bridge and road. The company can collect toll fee for 25 years after completing the works.
The government has proposed 2.5-km-long four-lane bridge and 103-km four-lane road, including 48-km bypass road. As per the conditions, the project should be completed in 30 months from the date of awarding the work. There will be three toll plazas at Mangalgiri, Pottipodu and Kalaparru, according to sources in the roads and buildings department.