The Indian government has given the green light to a major infrastructure project in Odisha, with a new 160-km Coastal Highway expected to slash travel time between Rameswar and Paradeep from five hours to just one hour.

The ambitious highway project is being developed as an access-controlled greenfield corridor, designed to provide faster connectivity across several important locations in the state. The Rameshwar-Paradeep Coastal Highway will be built in two packages, with the first covering 79.4 km between Rameswar and Konark as a four-lane highway, and the second spanning 80.7 km between Konark and Paradeep as a two-lane highway with paved shoulders.

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Project has been approved combined

The project has been approved for a combined total capital cost of Rs 8,300.79 crore, to be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). With a design speed of 100 kmph, the highway is expected to provide faster and more direct connectivity to major tourist destinations like the Jagannath Temple, Puri Beach, and Konark Sun Temple.

The corridor will also facilitate connectivity to developing ports such as Astarang and Subarnarekha, connecting several districts of Odisha including Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada, and Jagatsinghpur. The project aims to address traffic-related issues on existing routes like NH-16, which passes through major urban areas like Khurda, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack.

According to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), sections of the existing Puri-Satpada and Puri-Konark routes have nearly 40 per cent ribbon development and carry significant local traffic, making them less suitable for high-speed, long-distance traffic. The new access-controlled corridor is expected to improve the movement of long-distance traffic while reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and vehicle operating costs.

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Additionally, the project is expected to help lower logistics costs and support economic activity in the region. NHAI received 17 bids for the Rameshwar-Paradeep Coastal Highway, with 10 bids for the Rameshwar-Konark package and seven bids for the Konark-Paradeep package.

During construction, the project is expected to generate around 53.6 lakh direct man-days and 67 lakh indirect man-days of employment, providing a significant boost to the local economy.