The Hindu Business Line : Vizag port now connected to National Highway 5

The port connectivity road project, linking the Visakhapatnam port to the National Highway 5, has been completed and the link road will be open to traffic from December 15, according to Mr K. Srinivasulu, Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

At a press meet here on Tuesday, he said the project was taken up under the programme — development of adequate road connectivity to 10 major ports, including Vizag. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) was formed for the implementation of the project, christened Visakhapatnam Port Road Company Ltd and the Visakhapatnam Port Trust entrusted the construction, operation and maintenance of the road to the SPV for a period of 30 years.

Of the project cost of Rs 114 crore, 30 per cent was in the form of equity (borne by the NHAI and the VPT) and the rest market borrowings. The cost of the civil works was estimated at Rs 78 crore, with a cost escalation of Rs 16 crore. The project began in June 2002 and the civil works had been completed, he said.

He said the total length of the project corridor was 12.5 km, comprising 4.90 km flyover and ramp structures and 7.6 km road. The work was awarded to Mr M. Venkata Rao, a local contractor, through open bidding.

"It is the longest flyover and structures in Andhra Pradesh and the largest ground improvement had to be undertaken in laying the road (4 km) using the technique of pre-fabricated vertical drains and high strength geo-textiles. The project should have been completed by December 2005, but there has been delay of roughly one year due to the reason," Mr Srinivasulu said.

User fee

He said the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) had approved an interim arrangement for levy of user fee by the Visakhapatnam Port Road Company Ltd at two plazas. For cars/jeeps/vans, the fee will be Rs 10 at the main plaza and Rs 5 at the second one, for light commercial vehicles Rs 15 and Rs 10, for trucks and buses Rs 35 and Rs 20, and for multi-axle vehicles Rs 55 and Rs 30, respectively. For oversized vehicles (more than 7 axles), the fee will be Rs 65 and Rs 35, respectively, at the two plazas.

There would be several exemptions and concessions, he said and added that the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation had also sought exemption for its buses, which was under the consideration of the TAMP, he explained.

Mr Srinivasulu said that according to estimations the annual revenue would be roughly Rs 6.6 crore and the money invested would be recouped in 20 years, but the fee would be collected for 30 years.

He said the illumination of the flyover had been completed on one side and the rest of the work would be finished in a month or so. But the road would be open to traffic from December 15.

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