18 bids received for Rs.6,956cr project
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has received an overwhelming response from bidders for the construction of the over 85 km long Kaliabor to Numaligarh section of NH-715, passing through Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
In response to the bids invited by NHAI from highway developers, the project has received 18 bids and is scheduled to be awarded in the current financial year at a total capital cost of Rs.6,956 crore.
The project also includes construction of a 34.5 km long Kaziranga Elevated Corridor for free and uninterrupted passage of wildlife. The elevated corridor will be implemented in three sections of 18.3 km, 11.2 km and 5 km, respectively https://www.bseindia.com/.
The alignment of the corridor is designed to facilitate movement of wildlife from Kaziranga National Park to the Karbi Anglong hills and will be constructed as part of the upgradation of NH-715 from 2-lane to 4-lane configuration https://www.nseindia.com/.
The 85.6 km long project includes development of two Greenfield bypasses with a combined length of 21 km at Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat) town areas, one major bridge, 20 minor bridges, seven flyovers, 84 culverts, one railway overbridge (ROB), five vehicular underpasses (VUP), 12 light vehicular underpasses (LVUP), 21 bus shelters and 16 km long service roads.
In order to align the project as per wildlife requirements, NHAI has consulted the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Forest Department, Government of Assam, and has received approvals from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The elevated design has been planned to minimise disturbance to natural habitats while ensuring smoother and safer vehicular movement along this critical route.
Upon completion, the Kaliabor–Numaligarh section of NH-715 will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth by strengthening connectivity between major tourism, industrial and economic centres, boosting tourism to Kaziranga National Park, and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development in Assam, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on 13 Mar. fiinews.com
