Andhra Pradesh Ramps Up Roadworks, Unveils Digital Window for Public Oversight

Andhra Pradesh is making a major push to overhaul its road infrastructure, with R&B Minister BC Janardhan Reddy recently directing officials to swiftly clear potholes across 22,602 km of roads and accelerate development works. To boost transparency and public engagement, the Minister also launched 'WATCH AP RISE', a new YouTube channel showcasing infrastructure projects statewide. This comes as the state aims to complete 10,238 km of roads that need upgrading from a total of 45,433 km of R&B roads, with only 53% of ongoing projects worth Rs 2,500 crore completed so far. The state's proactive stance follows significant delays in some projects, including those valued at Rs 514 crore, and challenges like bitumen shortages. The government has responded by sanctioning Rs 8,530 crore for the Roads & Buildings Department over the past two years, with Rs 4,110 crore already released, and is offering price variation benefits to contractors to combat rising material costs. This aligns with a broader national and state-level infrastructure drive, highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying foundation stones for National Highway projects worth over Rs 1,880 crore in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month, including new greenfield highway and bypasses. Looking ahead, officials are under strict orders to meet monthly targets, with Minister Reddy personally set to inspect underperforming districts next month. The government is also fast-tracking land acquisition for National Highway projects worth Rs 72,688 crore and pushing for the timely completion of projects ahead of events like Godavari Pushkaralu 2027. With an ambitious target to complete Rs 1,400 billion in highways by 2027, Andhra Pradesh is clearly signaling its commitment to a robust, modern road network, leveraging public-private partnerships and advanced construction technologies like AI-based inspections to achieve its goals.