Nitin Gadkari announces new expressway for north-east, proposed Gorakhpur to Meghalaya highway connecting UP, Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya to reduce travel time by half

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a Rs 61,500 crore highway corridor linking Siliguri in West Bengal with Guwahati in Assam and Shillong in Meghalaya. The proposed 630-km project, along with a separate expressway connecting Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh with Siliguri, aims to improve road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the North East, a TOI report stated. The corridor will combine new highway construction with upgrades to existing roads. The government expects the projects to reduce travel distances and journey times while improving access to the strategically important region around the Siliguri corridor, commonly known as the Chicken's Neck. Gadkari made the announcement at an event on Monday, outlining the proposed highway's sections and other road infrastructure projects planned in Assam.

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Siliguri-Guwahati stretch to cost Rs 30,000 crore

The first section will connect Siliguri and Guwahati through a 400-km stretch. Gadkari said the government would invest Rs 30,000 crore in this part of the project. The alignment for the section is currently awaiting approval. “This has been proposed to improve connectivity between West Bengal and North East, and also the strategic Chicken’s Neck,” Gadkari said. The minister described the larger 630-km corridor as a potential lifeline for the North East. The plan involves building new highway stretches and upgrading existing roads to provide continuous connectivity across the route.

Guwahati-Shillong route to become shorter

Another section will connect Jorabat, near Guwahati, with Barapani near Shillong in Meghalaya. The proposed greenfield highway will reduce the distance between the two locations from the existing 100 km to 66 km. Travel time is also expected to fall significantly. According to Gadkari, the journey, which currently takes around two-and-a-half hours, could be completed in one hour after the project becomes operational. The shorter route is expected to improve connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya.

Shillong-Silchar highway to cut travel time by half

The third section will connect Shillong with Silchar through a 165-km greenfield highway. Gadkari said the government plans to issue the work order for this stretch in November. The proposed road will replace the current 230-km journey with a shorter route of 165 km. “The travel time will also be reduced by half, from the current eight hours to only four hours,” Gadkari said. The project is part of the larger effort to improve road access across the North East and reduce the time required to travel between key locations.

Assam has projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore

Gadkari also outlined the scale of ongoing and planned highway development in Assam. The state currently has 265 road projects covering around 4,700 km. These projects have an estimated cost of nearly Rs 2 lakh crore. The ministry is also planning another 31 projects spanning approximately 1,470 km, with an estimated investment of Rs 92,000 crore. The proposed Siliguri-Guwahati-Shillong corridor will add to these infrastructure plans.

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Gorakhpur-Siliguri expressway to improve UP connectivity

Apart from the North East corridor, the road transport ministry has taken up an expressway connectivity project between Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Siliguri in West Bengal. The proposed expressway, together with the 630-km corridor, is intended to provide faster road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the North East.

The projects would link important locations across several states through a combination of new highways and upgraded roads. The announcement comes as the government continues to expand road infrastructure in the North East, with projects aimed at reducing journey times and improving connections between states.

Guwahati-Tezpur highway project

The Centre has also approved a Rs 8,970.20 crore project to build a 135.87-km four-lane, access-controlled corridor between Baihata Chariali near Guwahati and Tezpur in Assam. The project will be developed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model and will exclude the 15.11-km Mangaldoi Bypass.

The Guwahati-Tezpur corridor is expected to double average travel speeds and reduce travel time by half. The project includes five major bypasses covering 58.7 km to ease congestion around Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur. It will also include bridges, flyovers, underpasses and service roads.

The project is expected to strengthen road connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and improve access to economic, logistics and tourism centres. It will also connect with PM GatiShakti economic nodes, railway stations, airports and waterway terminals.