On Thursday, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 28 national highways (NHs) projects worth Rs 6,600 crore in Odisha.
Nitin Gadkari along with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually inaugurated a 79km four-lane road between Baharagora and Singhara on NH-49, valued at Rs 1,203 crore, and a 78km six-lane road from Chandikhol to Bhadrak on NH-16, costing Rs 2,035 crore.
“It is a matter of great joy and happiness that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on infrastructure and the focus on making sure that each and every citizen’s life is improved has been reflected today in a very important function in Puri,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Mega highways projects in Odisha
Besides these projects, the union ministers also laid the foundation stones for 26 other road infrastructure projects in the state. During the event, Gadkari delineated the rapid progress in national highway development in Odisha.
Since 2014, the total length of national highways in the state has increased from 4,639 km to 5,753 km, while the Road Transport & Highways ministry allocated nearly Rs 1.50 lakh-crore for highway development in Odisha, Gadkari added.
From 2014 to 2024, around 4,250 km of roads were constructed in Odisha, with an expenditure of approximately Rs 33,000 crore.
It is noteworthy that the 1,312 km of national highways projects costing Rs 22,000 crore, are presently underway in the state. These projects are expected to be completed during 2024-25, the minister said.
Meanwhile, the road ministry is also preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the construction of 746 km of roads with an estimated cost of Rs 60,000 crore, he said.
Greenfield Ring Road in Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur
Nitin Gadkari also announced plans for various projects, including a 111km greenfield ring road around Bhubaneswar city, costing Rs 6,253 crore.
The project will be divided into two packages and is expected to benefit the residents of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Khurda district.
Under package I, a 71km six-lane road will be constructed from Rameswar to Govindpur with a total cost of Rs 4,426 crore while a 40km road from Govindpur to Tangi will be taken up under package II with a cost of Rs 2,287 crore, the minister said.
Besides, a 35km four-lane greenfield ring road will be constructed in Sambalpur for Rs 1,333 crore, with work scheduled to begin in October 2024, Gadkari said.
