Union Cabinet approves Rs.8,970 crore four-lane Guwahati-Tezpur highway corridor in Assam, including bypasses, bridges and improved regional connectivity.
Guwahati, August 6: The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a 135.87-km four-lane access-controlled highway corridor between Baihata Chariali near Guwahati and Tezpur in Assam, excluding the 15.11-km Mangaldoi Bypass section.
The project, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, will be developed along NH-15 under the National Highways (Original) programme through the Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Toll mode.
The total project cost has been estimated at Rs.8,970.20 crore.
The proposed Guwahati-Tezpur Corridor is expected to improve connectivity across central and northern Assam, reduce travel time, ease congestion and strengthen links with key economic, tourism and logistics centres in Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
Five bypasses planned to reduce congestion
The project includes construction of five major bypasses covering 58.7 km to avoid congestion in densely populated areas, including Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur.
The corridor will also include an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) of 4.9 km in the Tezpur Bypass, which has been finalised in coordination with the Indian Air Force.
According to the government, the project will help decongest the existing NH-27 East-West Corridor running along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.
Bridges, flyovers and underpasses included
The access-controlled highway will feature major infrastructure components including:
15 major bridges
30 minor bridges
19 flyovers
46 underpasses
210 km of service roads
One elephant underpass in the Tezpur Bypass
The government stated that the service roads and underpasses will ensure smooth movement of local traffic while maintaining connectivity across the access-controlled corridor.
Travel time expected to reduce significantly
The upgraded highway is expected to increase average travel speeds by nearly 100 per cent and reduce travel time by half.
The project is also projected to improve road safety, enhance fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle operating costs.
Officials stated that the corridor will provide smoother movement of passengers and freight while supporting economic activity in the region.
Connectivity to economic and tourism centres
The highway project will improve access to several important economic, social, tourism and logistics locations across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the government, the corridor will provide connectivity to:
Eight PM Gati-Shakti economic nodes, including industrial parks
Two social nodes, including Aspirational Districts of Darrang and Udalguri
Three tourism destinations — Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park
Seven logistics nodes, including railway stations, airports and waterways terminals
The project is expected to strengthen regional mobility and support faster movement of goods and services across Assam.
