Hyderabad: Roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Monday urged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the expansion of National Highway-65 (NH-65), connecting Hyderabad and Vijayawada, and ensure that construction begins at the earliest.The minister met NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and member (projects) Vipnesh Sharma in New Delhi to discuss the project and stress the need for its speedy implementation.Expressing concern over rising traffic congestion and frequent road accidents on the Hyderabad–Machilipatnam stretch of NH-65, Komatireddy said the highway is a crucial transport corridor for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He urged NHAI officials to accelerate the tendering process, prioritise commuter safety and ensure that construction begins without further delay.The proposed project involves expanding the existing four-lane highway to six lanes, constructing service roads on both sides and developing controlled-access facilities. The minister said that once completed, the expansion is expected to improve traffic flow, ease congestion, reduce travel time and enhance road safety.According to the minister, the NHAI chairman responded positively to the request and set Nov 11 as the deadline for tender submission. He also assured that construction work would commence by Jan 2027.Highlighting the highway’s importance to thousands of daily commuters and motorists, Komatireddy said the expansion must be treated as a priority to reduce accidents and ensure safer and more comfortable travel.He added that road infrastructure development was not limited to improving travel facilities but also played a vital role in saving lives, promoting commercial activity and strengthening transport connectivity between Telangana and AP.The minister reaffirmed that the state govt would maintain close coordination with central agencies to ensure the timely execution and completion of the NH-65 expansion project.
