New Delhi, 06 August (H.S.):

The Central government has approved the development of the 135.871-kilometre four-lane Guwahati-Tezpur Corridor on National Highway-15 in Assam. The project will be developed under the National Highways (Original) programme through the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Toll model at an estimated cost of Rs 8,970.20 crore.

The approval was granted by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday.

The project includes the construction of a 4.9-kilometre Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) at the Tezpur bypass, which has been finalised in coordination with the Indian Air Force. The corridor is expected to reduce traffic congestion on the existing NH-27 (East-West Corridor) located along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre on Thursday, said the project also includes the construction of five major bypasses with a combined length of 58.7 kilometres. These bypasses will help ease congestion in densely populated areas such as Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dhekiajuli and Tezpur.

The project will further include 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers and one elephant underpass at the Tezpur bypass. Under the proposed access-controlled corridor, 210 kilometres of service roads will also be constructed along with 46 underpasses and 19 flyovers to ensure smooth traffic movement.

The project is expected to double travel speed and reduce travel time by half.

The corridor will provide seamless connectivity between major economic, social and logistics centres of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will also enhance connectivity to eight PM Gati Shakti economic centres, including eight industrial parks, two social centres covering the aspirational districts of Darrang and Udalguri, three tourism destinations such as Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park, as well as seven logistics hubs comprising three major railway stations, two airports and two waterways terminals.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar