Regional Ring Road north gets NH 161AA
HYDERABAD: The Union government has begun formal steps to start works on the northern section of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) by assigning it a national highway number.
National highway number clears tender hurdle
A Gazette notification has allotted National Highway 161AA to the RRR’s northern stretch. Although tenders were invited earlier, the process was delayed after the road was scaled down to four lanes and design changes were introduced. Opening of financial bids required a national highway number, an obstacle that has now been removed. Authorities are expected to open bids and move towards starting works.
Existing NH downgraded to state road
At present, the highway running from Sangareddy–Toopran–Gajwel–Bhuvanagiri–Choutuppal carries the NH 161AA number. As the RRR northern section will run parallel from Sangareddy to Choutuppal and is being developed as a national highway, there is no need for another national highway on the same alignment. The existing road will therefore lose its national highway status and be transferred to the state government as a state highway. The 161AA number has been reassigned to the RRR northern section.
Alignment and numbering logic
When the RRR was first proposed, authorities considered upgrading the existing Sangareddy–Choutuppal road as part of it, initially as a brownfield project. Later, the plan shifted to building an access-controlled expressway, making the existing town-centric road unsuitable. The RRR north will begin near Girmapur village close to NH-65 near Sangareddy and end near Tangedupalli, also on NH-65, close to Choutuppal.
The national highway from Akola (Maharashtra) to Sangareddy carries NH 181. Since the RRR originates from this point, the numbering follows the same logic. Typically, link roads get an alphabet suffix, but as NH 161A already exists between Akot and Bidar, the new road has been designated NH 161AA. In the Gazette, it is listed as the 402nd national highway under the Union road network.
PPP panel clearance expected
The RRR northern section has already received approval at the secretary level of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. For fund release, clearance from the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) under the Union finance ministry is required. Officials said the PPPAC meeting is likely by the end of this month. With the highway number now allotted, the panel is expected to clear opening of tenders, paving the way for signing agreements with the concessionaire. Construction could begin from August.
