Four-lane greenfield corridor between Gohpur and Numaligarh to cut travel time
India has approved a Rs 18,662-crore project to build a four-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor between Gohpur and Numaligarh, featuring the country’s first underwater road-and-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
At present, the distance between Numaligarh on National Highway 715 and Gohpur on NH-15 is about 240 km, a journey that takes nearly six hours via Kaliabhomora near Silghat on NH-52. The existing route passes through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath town.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared the project on Saturday. The four-lane corridor will be developed under the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) model, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.
This will be India’s first underwater road-and-rail tunnel and only the second such project in the world. Once operational, the corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time and improve connectivity across Assam and neighbouring northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Connectivity and economic boost
The project aims to provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics hubs across Assam. It will integrate with 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourist nodes and eight logistics nodes.
The corridor will also enhance multi-modal connectivity by linking four major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterways, improving freight efficiency and reducing logistics costs.
Officials said the project will play a crucial role in strengthening regional economic growth, improving connectivity between major economic centres and opening new opportunities for trade and industrial development in the Northeast.
Strategic significance
The infrastructure push comes amid increasing strategic focus on the Northeast. A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic landing at the region’s first emergency landing facility aboard a C-130J aircraft, touching down on the Dibrugarh–Moran stretch of a national highway in Assam.
The emergency landing facility is seen as strategically significant, particularly given its proximity to the Line of Actual Control with China. It can accommodate frontline fighter jets and transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force during emergencies.
Together, these projects underline the Centre’s dual focus on boosting connectivity and strengthening strategic infrastructure in the Northeast region.
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
