PPPAC approval paves way for bids on 160-km Rameswar–Paradip stretch; travel time to drop by 45% as state accelerates major road infrastructure upgrades
Representative image of Odisha Coastal Highway.
Bhubaneswar: The Union finance ministry’s Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) has approved an estimated Rs 8,300.79 crore investment for developing a vital stretch of the Odisha coastal highway between Rameswar in Khordha and Paradip.
With this clearance, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will be able to float bids once the project receives final approval from the Union Cabinet.
According to The New Indian Express, the sanctioned project covers 160.18 km of the planned 346-km greenfield coastal corridor and will be executed under the hybrid annuity model in two phases. The Rameswar–Kakatpur segment is designed as a four-lane access-controlled highway, while the Kakatpur–Paradip section will initially be developed as a two-lane road with paved shoulders.
The DPR estimates include 36 major bridges—among them a 3.3 km bridge over the Mahanadi—along with 89 minor bridges, six viaducts, three rail overbridges, and 45 underpasses.
Once operational, the new highway is expected to reduce the distance between Rameswar and Paradip from 210 km to 160.18 km. Travel time is projected to be cut by nearly 45 per cent, bringing the current 5.5-hour journey down to roughly three hours.
The approval comes amid a larger push to scale up transportation infrastructure across Odisha. In Bhubaneswar’s expanding southern outskirts, Public Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan has set a November deadline to complete the 13.5-km Sundarpada–Jatni four-lane corridor. Officials are currently resolving issues related to drainage, electricity and sewage realignment to avoid delays after construction.
Recently, the state cabinet also cleared the 40-km Pipili–Konark greenfield corridor, designed for speeds of up to 100 kmph and expected to reduce travel time between the two towns by nearly two-thirds. Additional road-widening works in the Puri region—covering connectivity to the Jagannath Temple and major stretches in Nimapara and Astarang—are set to follow as part of a broader phase of network strengthening.
( Source : Asian Age )
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