Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has approved plans for ‘Pipili–Konark Greenfield Corridor’ that would cut travel time between Pipili and Konark from 90 minutes to just 30 minutes.
The road project, which involves widening of the existing Pipili-Konark road, which witnesses witnesses heavy traffic during tourist seasons, from 7 metres to 10 metres and connecting it with a new greenfield corridor, was discussed at high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Friday.
According to a government statement, the proposed 200-foot-wide, four-lane greenfield corridor, spanning 40 km, will allow vehicles to travel at 100 kmph and reduce the travel time from Pipili to Konark from 1.5 hours to 30 minutes.
The Deputy CM stated that design work has been initiated, and land acquisition will begin once clearances are in place. Both projects are intended to ease congestion, improve connectivity to Konark’s Sun Temple, and boost the overall road network in the region.
Additionally, the review meeting also discussed widening of various roads within Puri city, construction of a four-lane road from Charichhak to Astaranga, and from Jalarpur to Charichhak under the Nimapada constituency. The road from Taj International to Jagannath Stadium via City Road in Puri will also be upgraded to four lanes. Surveys for widening the roads from Chaitanya Road to Shree Jagannath Temple via Balisahi, Dolamandap Sahi Road, and from Jhadiswari Club to Medical Chhak will also be carried out.
With focus on strengthening the road network across the state, Parida and Harichandan also stressed expediting the proposal to connect Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Konark with a robust road corridor.