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India intends to continue its massive investment in highway spending, according to a news report from the World Highways newsletter.
Predictions for the next five years estimate that up to $100 billion (USD) will be spent on road building in the country in the next five years. The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways (MRTH) plans to build 35,000km of highways, with 60% paid by the government budget and 40% from the private sector.
The MRTH will open tendering for nine highway projects. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has received bids from 13 companies for a 570km link between Gujarat and Rajasthan, the newsletter article stated.
A number of projects will help links to a port in neighboring Bangladesh. New bridge and road infrastructure will connect to access to Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port. Plans are ready for a new bridge crossing the Feni River in India’s Tripura state, connecting Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in southeastern Bangladesh. The existing two-lane Agartala-Sabroom national highway will be upgraded and widened to four lanes, according to the newsletter.
The $150.8 million project to upgrade the 78km Krishnanagar-Baharampore link in West Bengal has also been approved by India’s Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure. This road links India’s northeastern states as well as neighboring nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. And the state government in Kerala plans to spend $214.8 million on road projects in Kochi. The projects will include building three flyovers, six railway over-bridges, and 19 additional road projects.
Source: World Highways newsletter