BHUBANESWAR: A major election promise of the BJD, the Biju Expressway has not made satisfactory progress in the last three years despite an announcement by the state government at regular intervals that it will be completed in time.
The progress of the Biju Expressway along with several other roads was reviewed by chief secretary AP Padhi at the state empowered committee meeting today. Padhi asked works department officials to complete construction of the Expressway by 2019.
The meeting was informed by works secretary NK Pradhan that construction of the Expressway stretching over 656 kilometers from Rourkela to Chandili has expedited and required funds for the project has been provided by the state government.
The `3200 crore Expressway which has been planned as an economic corridor between Jagdalpur and Rourkela will connect the districts in the western quadrant with the ones in the south. The road will connect Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh with KBK's Koraput, Nabrangpur, Kalahani and Nuapada districts.
The 355 kilometer long road from Rourkela to Nuapada will be made a four lane one and the balanced road from Nuapada to Chandili connecting Jagdalpur of Chhattisgarh will be made two lanes. "The road from Rourkela to Sambalpur is nearing completion and expected to be commissioned by December, 2017. Work in the rest portion has been expedited to be completed by June, 2019," Pradhan added.
Besides, Odisha government has completed three roads within a year. State highway no-16 stretching over 86 km from Bhwanipatna in Kalahandi district to Khariar in Nuapada district with a project cost of Rs 115 crore has been completed and opened to traffic.
Four bridges over river Tel have been completed and opened to traffic with a total expenditure of 32 crore. Similarly, 41 km of road from Berhampur to Taptapani built at a cost of around Rs 95 crore has also been completed and opened to traffic within a year.
Pradhan said substantial progress has been made in the construction of the road from Jagatpur to Nischintakoili (25 km) and Nischintakoili-Duhuria (24 km) at an estimated cost of Rs 205 crore.
The road project from Chandbali to Kendrapara (56.5km) estimated at around Rs 170 crore has been expedited with 16 km nearing completion. Besides, road work from Bhadrakh to Pirahat (27.5 km) and Pirahat to Chandbali (17.5 km) is under rapid progress.
"Around Rs 174 crore has been invested in all these works during last one year from July, 2016 to May, 2017. The state road project plan was prepared including these nine roads," he said.