Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is accelerating its efforts to expedite road and infrastructure projects, aligning with its ambitious ‘Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat’ goal by 2036.
This includes adopting modern technologies and project management tools to speed up execution and ensure balanced regional growth beyond just the major cities.
During a high-level review meeting on Monday, Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan proposed developing an outer ring road in Cuttack, modelled after Bhubaneswar’s successful urban expansion approach. This will help to relieve the Millennium City’s mounting traffic congestion, support future growth, and improve overall mobility. Officials have been tasked with preparing detailed plans for this and other measures to decongest the city and enhance traffic management.
Harichandan stressed that strong statewide connectivity, linking rural and remote areas to urban hubs, is vital for equitable development.
The meeting
also emphasised on upgrading the Cuttack–Sambalpur NH-55 to six lanes to facilitate smoother movement of goods and people between coastal Odisha and the western regions, while benefiting industrial, mining, and port-linked areas.
The minister directed for widening all national highways in the state to at least four lanes. He stressed the need to upgrade state highways connecting different parts of Odisha into 4-lane roads and directed officials to immediately initiate survey work and submit detailed reports to the government.
The review also covered several critical arterial roads and corridors, including ongoing construction, widening efforts, and land acquisition challenges, in Bhubaneswar. These include Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan Road, the Left Parallel Road, and Pathargadia–Daruthenga road. The proposed Kelucharan Park–Phulnakhara Road, the Palasuni to Garage Chhak stretch, the Acharya Vihar–Kalinga Hospital Road, and the Kaimatia Chhak to Gothpatna road, connectivity projects such as Gohiria to Chhatabar via Madanpur were also discussed. .
Broader highway widening and bypass projects linking Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, including the Konark–Puri–Satapada road, a new alignment for the Pipili–Konark road, and the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda stretches, were reviewed, along with progress on bypasses like Jaipur and Balangir.