Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday announced that Odisha will soon have highways comparable to those in the United States. While inaugurating 19 national highway projects in the state, collectively worth Rs 4,137 crore, he emphasised that enhanced road connectivity would significantly boost tourism in Odisha.
"The Centre will provide world-class infrastructure to Odisha, and the people here will soon get America-like highways. The state has ports, minerals and forests. Road connectivity will boost its tourism potential," he said.
Highlighting the Centre’s investment in Odisha’s infrastructure, Gadkari said that highway projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore have been initiated in the state.
Of this, projects valued at Rs 60,000 crore have already been completed, another Rs 60,000 crore worth of works are currently in progress, and additional projects worth Rs 75,000 crore are in the pipeline, he added.
Responding to a request by Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Gadkari confirmed that his ministry has already cleared the Capital Region Ring Road project. "We are waiting for the Union Cabinet's nod. The ring road from Rameswaram in Khurda district to Tangi in Cuttack district will be executed at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore," he said.
Gadkari also informed that the Centre has approved widening the Bhubaneswar-Puri highway to six lanes at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore. "The travel time between Bhubaneswar and Puri will be reduced from 90 minutes to 45 minutes," he added.
Speaking at the event, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi proposed expanding the Bhubaneswar-Puri highway to eight lanes, including a dedicated service road.
He stated, “An eight-lane corridor between Bhubaneswar and Puri would meet traffic demands for the next 100 years.”
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