Andhra Pradesh Roads & Buildings Minister BC Janardhan Reddy on Tuesday informed the Assembly that ₹1,430 crore is required for rebuilding 352 bridges across the state. He said the government is working to utilise 16th Finance Commission funds for this purpose.
“Nearly ₹1,430 crore is needed to reconstruct 352 bridges. Efforts are underway to rebuild them with support from the 16th Finance Commission,” Reddy said while responding to questions raised by several MLAs.
Acknowledging concerns about poor road and bridge conditions, the minister criticised the previous YSRCP government, alleging that no new roads were developed between 2019 and 2024 and that negligence led to severe inconvenience for the public.
Reddy highlighted that soon after coming to power, the TDP-led NDA government initiated pothole repair works at a cost of ₹1,080 crore. He further noted that the earlier YSRCP regime failed to repay ₹1,980 crore in loans from the New Development Bank (NDB), funds that could have facilitated the construction of 2,500 km of roads.
He also informed the House that, along with repairing potholes, single-layer roads are being developed under the direction of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. A new corporation will also be set up to speed up road development and ensure timely completion of projects.
