Guwahati: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the Rs 8,970.20 crore Guwahati-Tezpur Corridor project on NH-15 in Assam, which will develop a 135.871-km four-lane access-controlled highway.
The highway corridor will be developed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) toll framework, an official statement said.
A 4.9-km emergency landing facility (ELF) will be developed at the Tezpur Bypass under the project. The facility has been planned in consultation with the Indian Air Force and is expected to reduce congestion on the existing NH-27 (East West Corridor) on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river.
Five bypass corridors are planned under the project to divert traffic away from busy stretches in Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur.
The proposed corridor will have 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, one elephant underpass at Tezpur Bypass and 46 underpasses.
The government said the project is expected to increase average travel speed by 100 per cent, bring down travel time by half, improve road safety, increase fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle operating costs. These improvements are expected to support regional mobility and socio-economic development.
The upgraded highway will strengthen connectivity with important economic, social and logistics centres in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The corridor will also improve access to eight PM Gati-Shakti Economic Nodes, including industrial parks, two social nodes covering the aspirational districts of Darrang and Udalguri, three tourist destinations such as Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park, and seven logistics nodes comprising three major railway stations, two airports and two waterway terminals.
The project is expected to facilitate quicker movement of goods and passengers across the region.