Bhubaneswar, June 30: The state government is committed to complete the construction of Biju Expressway involving an investment of `3,200 crore by June 2019.
This was revealed at a state-level empowered committee meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary A P Padhi.
The chief secretary directed the Works department to complete the expressway from Rourkela to Sambalpur by December this year and the remaining portion by June 2019.
Works secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan said the construction of Biju Expressway stretching over 656 km from Rourkela to Chandili had been expedited.
The road will connect Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts with KBK’s Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada.
The 355-km road from Rourkela to Nuapada will be four-laned and the balance road from Nuapada to Chandili connecting Jagdalpur of Chhattisgarh will be made two-laned.
Pradhan added that the `115 crore project on State Highway 16 stretching over 86 km from Bhawanipatna to Khariar had been completed and opened to traffic during the last one year – July 2016 to May 2017.
Similarly, four bridges over River Tel with an estimated cost of `32 crore and a 41-km road from Berhampur to Taptapani, built with `95 crore, have been completed.
Construction of the road from Jagatpur to Nischintakoili (25 km) and Nischintaloili to Duhuria (24 km) with an expenditure of `205 crore and the road package from Chandbali to Kendrapara (56.5km) involving `170 crore had been expedited, sources added.
The work from Bhadrak to Pirahat (27.5 km) and Pirahat to Chandbali (17.5 km) was under progress.
Around `174 crore had been invested in all these works during the last one year, they added. PNN
State committed to opening Biju Expressway by June 2019
