Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The federal government just greenlit a 8,970 crore rupee highway project to link Baihata Chariali with Tezpur. This 135.87-km, four-lane, access-controlled route on NH-15 aims to turn Assam’s economic arteries into high-speed conduits. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs signed off on the Build-Operate-Transfer toll model earlier this month. It ignores the 15.11-km Mangaldoi Bypass.
Tea producers stand to gain the most. Industry experts expect the highway to double average travel speeds and cut transit times by 50 percent. This shift will slash fuel consumption and operating costs for transporters. By bypassing urban centers, the route ensures goods reach auction houses and logistics hubs without the usual gridlock. It streamlines the movement of tea from North Assam gardens to the wider Northeast market.
The project brings more than just asphalt. Construction crews will build 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses, and 210 km of service roads. Five major bypasses spanning 58.7 km will pull through-traffic away from Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dhekiajuli, and Tezpur. A specialized elephant underpass will sit on the Tezpur Bypass to preserve local wildlife paths. The Air Force will also oversee a 4.9-km Emergency Landing Facility on the same bypass.
Tourism stands to flourish. The highway opens faster routes to the Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park, and Orang National Park. Officials hope this will "reshape how goods and visitors move across the region" by connecting eight PM GatiShakti economic nodes, three tourist nodes, and seven logistics hubs. The project effectively links two airports, three railway stations, and two waterway terminals while providing a vital path toward Itanagar and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
Comments