Raipur–Visakhapatnam Expressway (NH-130CD), part of Raipur–Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor (EC-15), is an under-construction, six-lane, long access-controlled greenfield expressway, which will pass through the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in central and east-central India. At present, from Durg, it runs between NH-30 and NH-130C till Boriguma, then runs east of NH-26 till Sunabeda and then west of NH-26 till Visakhapatnam after terminating with NH-16 (Golden Quadrilateral) at Vizianagaram. Along the new route, it will connect Raipur by starting at Abhanpur in Raipur district with the cities of Dhamtari, Kanker, Kondagaon, Koraput, and Sabbavaram before terminating at Visakhapatnam Port.
It will reduce the current travel time and distance, from 13 hours to only 8-9 hours, and from to . It is a part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, and it will connect the East Coast Economic Corridor, which runs from Kolkata to Kanyakumari at Vizianagaram. It will be sequentially interconnected with the rest of the country via the national highways NH-30-NH-34-NH-539-NH-44-Yamuna Expressway, thus connecting Raipur and Visakhapatnam directly to central and north Indian cities, such as Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi and Jabalpur.
History
To improve connectivity, tourism, development and economic growth in Central India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) planned to build an expressway from Raipur to Visakhapatnam in 2014. It will reduce both travel time and distance, from 13 hours to only 8-9 hours, and from 595 km to 464 km. It will pass through the regions of Dandakaranya and the Eastern Ghats. Once completed, these regions will see exponential growth with the growth of industries and socio-economic development by promoting employment among people living in the regions, which the regions currently lack altogether. The plan was approved by the Government of India in 2017, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the expressway in November 2022. The project is being built at a cost of ₹ 20,000 crore, and construction is ongoing on most parts of the expressway's route. The expressway is expected to become operational by the end of 2024.
Route
Chhattisgarh
In Chhattisgarh, it will pass through 4 south-eastern districts at between NH-30 and NH-130C:
Raipur district
south of Raipur, begins at Kurud on intersection of NH-30, NH-130C and SH-22. Dhamtari district Kundel Kanker district northeast of Kanker, passes near Naharpur immediate east of Kanker, passes through Sarona on SH-6 (Kanker-Mukundpur road). Kondagaon district east of Keskal Salna (immediate west of Kundel), enters Odisha here
Odisha
In Odisha, it will pass through 2 south-western-most districts on eastern and western side of NH-26 in Nabarangpur and Koraput districts, respectively:
Nabarangpur district, runs along the eastern side of NH-26. Sunapali, enters Odisha here. west of Raighar west of Umerkote west of Dabugaon west of Papadahandi west of Nabarangpur Koraput district, runs along the western side of NH-26. east of Kotpad (east of) Gaudaguda, moves from west to east side of NH-26. east of Borigumma immediate east of Raniguda immediate east of Koraput immediate east of Sunabeda, south of Sunabeda; it moves from east to west side of NH-26. Pottangi Ondarangi on the border of Odisha-Andhra Pradesh, exits Odisha and enters Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, it will pass only through one district in northeast Andhra Pradesh, on the western side of NH-26:
Vizianagaram district
west of Salur
west of Gajapathinagaram
west of Vizianagaram
between Sabbavaram-Anandapuram, terminates here on SH-9 Anakapalle-Rajapulova Road.
Construction
The expressway will be fully six-lane, access-controlled and a greenfield project. It is being built using the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) mode of construction. The land acquisition and the bidding process for the project is fully completed, except three packages in the Odisha section, and construction is ongoing on most of the expressway's route. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project was made by the South Korean firm, YONGMA Engineering Co. Ltd. – Arkitechno Consultants. The project has been divided into 19 packages. The following table lists the packages, contractors and their statuses.