Bhubaneswar: Stressing that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 13,000 crore this year for the development of National Highways (NH) in the state, Odisha’s Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Thursday said roadworks worth Rs 2,000 crore would be completed by September.
The Minister, who reviewed various road construction projects in the state, said that the construction of the long-awaited Cuttack-Sambalpur NH No. 55 is likely to be completed by the end of this year.
Stating that Cuttack-Sambalpur highway work is in the final stages of completion, he said delay took place due to financial challenges faced by the implementing agency. Work of the 265 km stretch of the highway, which is being upgraded from double lane to four-lane road, is now rearing completion and it is expected to be ready by this year end, Harichandan said.
“The construction work is nearing completion, with only one or two patches left. Once those are finished, we will address road damage caused by the Vehicular Underpass (VUP) construction. Despite this, the overall progress is positive, and I am confident that the remaining work, including the VUP, will be completed by the end of this year,” the Minister said.
The project, which began in 2017, was initially targeted for completion by 2020. However, various challenges, including forest land acquisition issues and the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the delays.
