Nitin Gadkari announces over Rs 500 crore for highway strengthening & widening in Bengal: What will change for commuters travelling on NH-14 and NH-114

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced an allocation of Rs 508.66 crore for strengthening and selective widening of two national highways in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. The funding will cover stretches of NH-14 and NH-114, with the Centre aiming to improve road safety, reduce congestion and make the movement of people and goods smoother across the region. Gadkari announced the approval in a post on X on Saturday.

West Bengal highways: Which stretches will be upgraded?

The project covers a 91.90-km stretch of NH-14 between Bhimgarh and Nalhati via Mallarpur. It also includes 56.40 km of NH-114 between Surul Village and Mallarpur. The work will involve strengthening the existing highway stretches and widening selected sections to improve their capacity and overall road conditions.

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How the NH-14, NH-114 projects will help commuters

According to Gadkari, the upgraded corridors are expected to improve connectivity across Birbhum while reducing travel time and congestion.

“The upgraded corridors will improve road safety, ease congestion, reduce travel time, facilitate smoother movement of people and goods, and strengthen connectivity between villages, towns and key economic centres,” Gadkari said.

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The projects are also expected to support regional trade and local businesses by improving the movement of freight and providing more efficient road links.

Rs 508 crore highway project to boost connectivity

The two highway stretches connect several villages and towns in Birbhum and serve as important routes for local as well as commercial traffic.

The strengthening and selective widening work is expected to make journeys safer and improve the efficiency of freight movement along the corridors.

The Centre has been undertaking several highway projects in West Bengal as part of efforts to improve road infrastructure and regional connectivity. In March, the government announced multiple National Highway projects in the state, including works on NH-114 and the Kharagpur-Moregram economic corridor.

Gadkari stresses infrastructure development

The highway announcement came as Gadkari addressed a gathering in Nagpur at the conference titled “Asian Scenario on Infrastructural Development (ASID-26)”, organised by the Nagpur Centre of the Indian Concrete Institute.

The Union minister said infrastructure development would be important for India's economic growth and called for an international code of conduct for the infrastructure sector.

He also stressed the need to make greater use of alternative and discarded materials in infrastructure projects.

According to the report, Gadkari said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has so far used around 80 tonnes of municipal waste in road construction.

The minister has previously emphasised improving highway quality, maintenance and the adoption of newer construction technologies.


Inputs from agencies