 "Nitin Gadkari assures expedited construction of Telangana-AP iconic bridge")
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has assured he will expedite the construction of a double-decker cable-stayed iconic bridge between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the Krishna River, the Telangana government said on Saturday.
The assurance came during a meeting with Telangana Tourism and Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao in New Delhi.
Gadkari responded positively to Rao's request to fast-track the project and assured him that all necessary procedures would be completed, with tenders set to be launched by September end, an official statement said.
The Rs 1,082.56 crore-bridge, connecting Somashila in Telangana and Sangameshwar in Andhra Pradesh, has been pending for two years due to various reasons.
Rao, during the meeting, had an extensive discussion on the bridge construction, which falls in the Kollapur constituency, as well as various national highway development projects in the Mahbubnagar district.
The bridge is expected to promote environmental and temple tourism in Telugu-speaking states, provide a safer route to commuters, and reduce travel distance from Telangana to Tirupati by 70-80 kilometers, cutting down travel time by at least 90 minutes.
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Slated to come up against the backdrop of the Srisailam reservoir and Nallamala forest, the bridge will connect the Lalitha Someshwara Temple on the Telangana side with the Sangameshwar Temple on the Andhra Pradesh side.
Rao also requested Gadkari to take steps to upgrade the 203.5 km road from Alampur "X" Road (NH-44) to Nalgonda (NH 565) into a national highway.