BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has planned a new Expressway that will connect Bhubaneswar airport with the proposed airport at Puri. The six-lane high speed carriageway will shorten the distance between the two cities by nine kilometres.
While peak hour traffic congestion on the existing Bhubaneswar-Puri NH 316 makes the travel tiring for commuters, a number of junctions that connect the internal roads with the highway have been causing frequent accidents.
Official sources said, the proposed Expressway that will start from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar and end at Shri Jagannath International Airport (SJIA), Puri will have no internal roads connected to it. The road will be designed for a speed of 120 kmph.
“It will have an access controlled greenfield roadway for which preliminary survey has been completed and a tentative alignment has been made. Once completed, it will reduce the current distance of 66 km to 57 km between Bhubaneswar and Puri and the travel time from one hour to 30 minutes,” said a senior official of the Works department.
Though it has not been decided whether the Expressway will be developed by the state government or the Centre, as per preliminary estimate the project would entail an investment of around Rs 3,600 crore.
As per the initial assessment, around 1,300 acre of land would be acquired at an estimated Rs 1,010 crore for the project, which will pave way for the proposed metro rail between Bhubaneswar and Puri via Pipili. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on April 1 had announced the first phase metro rail from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar-Puri in the next phase.
The Works department has already floated a tender for finalisation of a consultant to conduct a detailed survey, design the Expressway and map the bridges and flyovers to be constructed to avoid the internal roads connecting it.
“The right of way (RoW) proposed along with the highway is around 100 metre so that it can include the metro rail system in future. The Centre had earlier expressed its interest to develop another road from Bhubaneswar to Puri. It wanted the state to do the land acquisition. Once the DPR for the Expressway is ready, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will be approached,” the official added.
The new road network will serve as an additional road and improve connectivity for air travellers, tourists and pilgrims by providing better connectivity and reducing travel time. Besides making the surrounding areas more attractive for investment and development, it is also expected to have a significant impact on the real estate sector in both the cities.
Expressway Features
To connect BPIA with proposed airport at Puri
Road to be designed for a speed of 120 kmph
Distance to reduce by nine kilometres
Around 1,300 acre to be acquired at an estimated Rs 1,010 cr for the project