The central government has announced plans for a 630 km highway corridor connecting Siliguri, Guwahati and Shillong, with an estimated project cost of Rs. 615 bn. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the corridor is intended to strengthen road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast and reduce travel time across the strategically important region.

The first section will connect Siliguri with Guwahati across approximately 400 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 300 bn. The work will include new road construction as well as upgrades to existing routes. The route approval process is currently underway, with the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck, serving as a key link between the Northeastern states and the rest of India.

The project also includes a greenfield highway between Jorabat near Guwahati and Barapani in Meghalaya. The route will reduce the distance between the two locations from about 100 km to 66 km. The journey, which currently takes around two and a half hours, is expected to take approximately one hour after completion.

Another component is a 165 km greenfield highway between Shillong and Silchar. It will shorten the road distance between the cities from approximately 230 km and reduce the journey time from about eight hours to four hours. The project is expected to improve access between Meghalaya, Assam and southern parts of the Northeast.

Gadkari also outlined road development work in Assam, covering 265 projects across approximately 4,700 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 2 tn. A further 31 proposed projects will cover around 1,470 km and cost approximately Rs. 920 bn. The Centre has also approved a 135.87 km, four-lane, access-controlled corridor from Baihata Chariali near Guwahati to Tezpur at a cost of Rs. 89.7 bn.