Rs.6,957cr project to be developed on EPC mode
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved widening and improvement of existing carriageway to 4-lane of 85.675-km Kalibor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 including Implementation of Wildlife-friendly Measures Proposed on Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch in Assam https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
The Rs.6,957 crore project will be developed on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode, CCEA said on 1 Oct.
The existing Kalibor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 (old NH-37) has a configuration of 2-lane with/without paved shoulders, passing through densely built-up areas of Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat) townshttp://commerce.gov.in.
A major part of the existing highway passes either through the Kaziranga National Park or along the southern boundary of the park, having restricted right of way (ROW) of 16 to 32 metres further aggravated by substantially poor geometrics.
During the monsoons, the area inside the park gets flooded leading to the movement of the wildlife from the park towards the elevated Karbi-Anglong Hills by crossing the existing highway. The heavy round-the-clock traffic on the highway results in frequent accidents and deaths of wild animals https://www.bseindia.com/.
To address these challenges, the project will involve construction of an elevated corridor of about 34.5 km, covering entire cross movement of wildlife from Kaziranga National Park to Karbi-Anglong Hills for free and un-interrupted passage of wildlife along with upgradation of 30.22-km of existing road and construct a 21-km of greenfield bypasses around Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat.
This will decongest the existing corridor, improve safety, and enhance the direct connectivity between Guwahati (the State Capital), Kaziranga National Park (tourism destination), and Numaligarh (an industrial town).
The project alignment integrates with 2 major National Highways (NH-127, NH-129) and 1 State Highways (SH-35), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Assam https://www.nseindia.com/.
Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 3 Railway Stations (Nagaon, Jakhalabandha, Vishwanath Charli), and 3 Airports (Tezpur, Liabari, Jorhat) thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.
The project alignment improves connectivity to 2 Socio-Economic Nodes, 8 tourist and religious places, thereby strengthening regional economic growth and religious tourism. Fiinews.com
