RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The proposed Rajamahendravaram to Vizianagaram National Highway-516E, which passes through mandals in the Agency areas of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, is going to be a game changer as tribal people of interior hamlets can have better road-connectivity to Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram.
The Centre had sanctioned Rs 5,68 crore for the construction of the Rampachodavaram - Koyyuru stretch as part of National Highway-516E, a short route forming a branch of National Highway 16.
The highway, which starts as a branch from NH-16 on Rajamahendravaram-Bhupathipalem road, meets State Highway-38 near Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district and traverses through Rampochodavaram, Addateegala and Rajavommangi in East Godavari, Koyyuru, Chinthapalli, Paderu and Araku, Bowadara and Tadipudi in Visakhapatnam and terminates at NH 16 near Vizianagaram.
The 406.17 km-long National Highway-516E with an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore, gained momentum with the Union Ministry inviting bids to construct two-lane highways as part of Green National Highway Corridor Project in the State. Another noteworthy aspect of the highway is that it passes through left-wing extremism-hit areas in the Agency of East Godavari, which may help the other way in checking movement of Naxals.
The highway has been proposed to augment transportation and road-connectivity for remote villages and encourage tourism in Eastern Ghats.