Madhya Pradesh is all set to get its sixth greenfield four-lane highway, connecting Bhopal and Gwalior. The project has received approval and will be issued this month for the preparation of the detailed project for the new route. The new greenfield alignment will take a completely different, much shorter path compared to the existing highways.
How Will The Project Ease Travellers?
At present, the journey between Bhopal and Gwalior covering a distance of 425 kilometres takes about seven to eight hours to complete. With the construction of the new roadway, the travel time will be reduced to about two and a half hours, allowing commuters to complete their journey in five to six hours.
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The Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) is set to develop the project under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. The road project is expected to be completed within three years. The MPRDC Managing Director, Bharat Yadav, said a 70-100 metre wide strip of land will be acquired for this corridor to facilitate an easy upgrade to eight lanes for the future.
How Will The Funds Be Managed?
The Bhopal-Gwalior four-lane road initiative will be funded by the central government (20 per cent), state government (20 per cent), and contractor (60 per cent). Meanwhile, five greenfield corridors will be built in Madhya Pradesh. The upcoming projects include Bhopal-Mandsaur, Sagar-Satna, Jabalpur-Ashapur, Bhopal-Indore, and Sagar-Jabalpur. The aforementioned projects have been approved, and their DPRs are currently being prepared.
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Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday has approved the upgradation of the existing intermediate lane to a 2-lane with Paved Shoulder Standard (125.01 kms) of the Hiwarkhedi-Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy Section of NH-347B and the widening of the existing 2-lane to 4 lanes from the Deshgaon-Julwaniya Section of NH-347B of length (108.643 kms) in the State of Madhya Pradesh on Hybrid Annuity Mode at a cost of Rs. 4,415.60 crore.
According to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the proposed upgrade of the Hiwarkhedi-Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy and Deshgaon-Julwaniya sections of NH-347B in Madhya Pradesh will address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves, and congestion in built-up areas across Betul, Khandwa, Khargone, and Barwdi districts.