Cabinet clears Rs 8,970 crore Guwahati-Tezpur corridor with IAF landing strip

The Union Cabinet on August 6 approved the construction of a 135.871-km, four-lane access-controlled Guwahati-Tezpur corridor on National Highway-15 in Assam at an estimated cost of Rs 8,970.20 crore.

According to an official statement, the project will be executed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) toll model.

The corridor will feature a 4.9-km emergency landing facility on the Tezpur bypass, planned in coordination with the Indian Air Force. The project is also expected to ease congestion on the existing NH-27, part of the East-West Corridor, on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.

To reduce traffic bottlenecks, five major bypasses will be constructed at Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur.

The project also includes 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses and an elephant underpass on the Tezpur bypass.

The government said the corridor is expected to double average travel speeds and cut travel time by half. It is also expected to improve road safety, enhance fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle operating costs, contributing to better regional connectivity and economic growth.

The upgraded highway will strengthen connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh while linking key economic, tourism and logistics hubs. These include eight PM Gati Shakti economic nodes comprising industrial parks, two aspirational districts — Darrang and Udalguri — three major tourist destinations, including Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park, as well as seven logistics hubs comprising three major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterway terminals.