The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has received an “overwhelming” response from bidders for the implementation of the 160-kilometre access-controlled greenfield coastal National Highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep in Odisha. The project will be awarded under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), and bids were invited for its construction in two packages.
The 79.4-km-long four-lane access-controlled Rameshwar to Konark Package-I of the project received 10 bids, and the 80.7-km-long two-lane with paved shoulder Konark to Paradeep Package-II received seven bids, reflecting robust competition and keen interest from participants, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.
The new coastal highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in June at a capital cost of Rs 8,300 crore. With a design speed of 100 km per hour, the project will provide direct and fast connectivity to key tourist places and help reduce travel time between Rameshwar and Paradeep by 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The Rameshwar-Paradeep section of the coastal highway will offer an alternative route to NH-16 and NH-316 and improve connectivity to Puri, Konark, Paradeep Port and the upcoming Puri International Airport, facilitate smooth transportation to developing ports such as Astarang and Subarnarekha, as well as provide connectivity to Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts in the state. The existing NH-16 is part of the Golden Quadrilateral and passes through the major towns of Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
