Raipur–Vizag corridor cuts gap by 130 km, boosts road freight

Andhra Pradesh is poised to become the biggest beneficiary of the Raipur–Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor, a major greenfield highway project costing ₹16,482 crore. The corridor will shorten the Raipur–Visakhapatnam route from 597 km to 465 km and is likely to be completed by December 2026. According to officials, the new highway will reduce travel time to Visakhapatnam Port from the current 12–15 hours to just five hours. This improvement will lower fuel use, cut transportation costs, boost movement of trucks, minerals, agricultural produce, and container cargo, thereby opening the door to substantial industrial, logistics and agricultural growth across Andhra Pradesh. For the state’s northern districts — Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, and parts of Vizianagaram — the project promises enhanced connectivity to the industrial regions of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.