New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): The Union Cabinet has approved a new highway project in Odisha and the widening and upgrading of highway projects in Bihar, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the construction of a new coastal Highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep on the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) in Odisha under two packages with a combined total length of 160.18 km and a combined total capital cost of Rs.8300.79 crore.
A release said that the project section of the new coastal Highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep passes through Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha, existing road network of NH-16 is part of the Golden Quadrilateral and is already a 6-lane highway passing through major towns Khordha, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack. The existing NH-316 connects Bhubaneswar-Puri and further extends towards Satapada and Konark.
The existing road geometry along the Puri-Satapada and Puri-Konark stretches is poor, with nearly 40% ribbon development along the corridor and high levels of roadside local commuter traffic, making the corridor unsuitable for smooth and efficient long-distance vehicular movement.
The projects are proposed to have a 4-lane configuration from Rameshwar to Konark (Package-1) and 2 lane with paved shoulder from Konark to Paradeep (Package-2), ensuring design speed of 100 km/hour and improved travel efficiency across the Districts of Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur in the State of Odisha. The project will also enhance regional mobility and promote socio-economic development.
The projects are in line with the PM GatiShakti principles and will connect 9 Economic Nodes and 5 Logistic Nodes. This will have a positive impact on the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) of the country.
Upon completion, travel time is expected to reduce by about 2 hour and 30 minutes between Rameshawar and Paradeep, while providing safe, fast, and uninterrupted connectivity for both passenger and freight traffic. Additionally, the project will result in substantial reductions in fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and vehicle operating costs (VOC).
CCEA also approved upgradation of the existing intermediate lane to 2 Lane with Paved Shoulder Standard (125.01 kms) of Hiwarkhedi -Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy Section of NH-347B and widening of existing 2 lane to 4 lanes from Deshgaon-Julwaniya Section of NH-347B of length (108. 643 km) in Madhya Pradesh on Hybrid Annuity Mode at a cost of Rs.4,415.60 crore.
The proposed upgradation of the Hiwarkhedi-Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy and Deshgaon-Julwaniya Section of NH-347B in Madhya Pradesh will address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves, and congestion in built-up areas across Betul, Khandwa, Khargone & Barwani district.
An extended Greenfield Bypass of Khargone district of 16.20 Km length will be developed as part of instant project. The project will increase average travel speeds, reduce travel time, and improve overall road safety, fuel efficiency, and vehicle operating costs, thereby enhancing regional mobility and socio-economic development.
The project will provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Madhya Pradesh.
CCEA approved the widening of the existing Armoor-Jagtial-Mancherial Section of National Highway (NH)-63 on Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and Jagtial-Karimnagar Section of National Highway (NH)-563 on Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) [BOT (Toll)] to the 4-lane standard under three work packages with a combined total length of 190.76 km and combined total capital cost of Rs.7597.16 crore.
The project section of Armoor-Jagtial-Mancherial passes through Nizamabad, Jagtial, and Mancherial Districts of Telangana, facing severe congestion at present due to several built-up areas along the highway, such as, Anksapoor, Korutla, Jagtial, Dharmapuri, Lakshettipet and Mancherial. Similarly, the Jagtial- Karimnagar section passes through severely congested and heavily built-up places along the stretch, such as, Jagtial, Potharam, Gangadhara and Karimnagar.
The projects are proposed to have a 4-lane configuration with bypasses to built-up areas with open tolling, ensuring design speed of 100 km/hour and improved travel efficiency across the Districts of Nizamabad, Jagtial, Mancherial and Karimnagar in the State of Telangana. The project will also enhance regional mobility and promote socio-economic development.
Upon completion, travel time is expected to reduce by about 1 hour and 30 minutes between Armoor and Mancherial and by about 45 minutes between Jagtial and Karimnagar, while providing safe, fast, and uninterrupted connectivity for both passenger and freight traffic. Additionally, the project will result in substantial reductions in fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and vehicle operating costs (VOC).
In another decision, CCEA approved upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea Section of NH-31 and NH-231 to the 4-Lane Standard (143. 529 kms) in Bihar on BOT (Toll) Mode at a cost of Rs.3936.05 crore.
The proposed upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea Section of NH-31 and NH-231in Bihar will address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves, and congestion in built-up areas across Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia district.
An extended Greenfield Bypass of Purnea City of 6.729 Km length will be developed as part of instant project. The project will increase average travel speeds, reduce travel time to about two hours, and improve overall road safety, fuel efficiency, and vehicle operating costs, thereby enhancing regional mobility and socio-economic development.
The project provides seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Bihar. Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 05 PM Gati-Shakti Economic Nodes (01 Textile Cluster, 02 Mega Food Park, 02 Fishing Seafood Park) and 11 Logistic Nodes (04 Major Railway Stations, 01 Airport, 04 NHs, 02 SHs), thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. (ANI)
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