Assam gets Rs 8,970 crore 4-lane highway from Baihata Chariali to Tezpur

Guwahati: The Union Cabinet has approved the 4-lane Baihata Chariali–Tezpur Highway project. The 135 km-long corridor will come up at a cost of Rs 8,970 crore.

The project envisages the construction of an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) (4.9 km) in Tezpur Bypass, which has been finalised in coordination with the IAF. It will decongest the existing NH-27 (East-West Corridor) on the south side of the Brahmaputra River. The project includes the construction of five major bypasses with a total length of 58.7 km, easing congestion on stretches passing through densely populated areas such as Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur.

Also Read: Cabinet approves GOBARdhan biogas scheme, Guwahati-Tezpur highway worth Rs 32,701 crore combined


In addition, the project has provisions for 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers and one Elephant Underpass (in Tezpur Bypass). Forty-six underpasses and 19 flyovers, along with 210 km of service roads, will also be constructed as part of the project to maintain cross movement of traffic, as the project is proposed to be developed as an access-controlled corridor.

The project will increase average travel speeds by 100%, reduce travel time by half, improve overall road safety, enhance fuel efficiency and lower vehicle operating costs, thereby boosting regional mobility and socio-economic development.

The project will provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance connectivity to eight PM Gati Shakti economic nodes (eight industrial parks), two social nodes (two aspirational districts of Darrang and Udalguri), three tourist nodes (Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park) and seven logistics nodes (three major railway stations, two airports and two waterway terminals), thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.

Also Read: Union Cabinet approves Samudra Manthan scheme, Rs 84,084 crore push for deepwater oil and gas exploration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 this year inaugurated the highway-based Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) at Moran in Assam’s Dibrugarh district. The Prime Minister landed on the emergency runway at Moran in a Hercules C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on X, “Another transformative infrastructure milestone for Assam. On behalf of the people of Assam, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Union Cabinet, led by Adarniya Narendra Modi Ji, for approving the Rs 8,970 crore, 4-lane Baihata Chariali–Tezpur Highway.”

He added, “The 135 km corridor will halve travel time while giving a major boost to connectivity and economic activity across the north bank of the Brahmaputra. But this approval must be seen in a much larger context. The Prime Minister has consistently spearheaded Assam’s growth story with a series of landmark infrastructure decisions - from the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, the Guwahati Ring Road, the Silchar Expressway and the Gohpur-Numaligarh Underwater Tunnel to several other strategic connectivity projects. Taken together, these are not standalone investments. They are part of a clear national vision to build a world-class infrastructure network across Assam, one that will reshape mobility and unlock unprecedented economic opportunities. Today’s decision is another powerful affirmation that Assam’s infrastructure transformation is well underway, and the best is yet to come.”