BHUBANESWAR: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the much-awaited six-lane access-controlled capital region ring road (CRRR) project for Odisha.
The 110.87-km bypass road from Rameshwar to Tangi will be constructed in hybrid annuity mode at an investment of Rs 8,307.74 crore. The alignment of the road project integrates three major national highways - NH-55, NH-57 and NH-655 along with NH-16 and one state highway (SH-65), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Odisha.
Briefing about the cabinet decision, Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the CRRR project is a part of the prime minister’s Purvodaya vision. It will be constructed with the help of modern technology and significantly benefit Odisha and other eastern states by diverting heavy commercial traffic away from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda, he said.
Prime minister Modi congratulated the people of Odisha, especially those in Bhubaneswar and its surrounding areas, after the vital infrastructure project received the cabinet nod. “This road project will reduce congestion and boost ease of living,” he posted on X.
Currently, the connectivity between Rameshwar and Tangi on the existing national highway experiences significant congestion due to high traffic volume in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The proposed six-lane access-controlled greenfield highway is expected to propel the efficiency of freight movement and reduce logistics cost while driving socio-economic growth in the region.
The road corridor will also enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 10 economic nodes, four social nodes and five logistic nodes, providing increased multi-modality with one major railway station, one airport, one proposed multi-modal logistics park and two major ports.
“The connectivity will facilitate faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. The bypass will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centres. It will also open new avenues for trade and industrial development,” Vaishnaw said.
Of the proposed investment, Rs 1,029.43 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition. The project will generate approximately 74.43 lakh person-days of direct and 93.04 lakh person-days of indirect employment.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed gratitude to the PM and minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
Road will ease traffic flow between capital, urban centres: Majhi
“The ring road will ease the traffic flow between the capital and major urban centres, enhance logistical efficiency and open new avenues for the economic development of the state,” Majhi said.
Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this ambitious road project will be a game-changer for rapidly expanding connectivity infrastructure in Odisha.
He had been continuously following up the project with the MoRTH and the bypass to be constructed in three packages will emerge as a highway of prosperity, he said.