Page 65 - Construction_Opportunities_Sep_2026

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RANCHI TO GET JHARKHAND’S FIRST 10-LANE SMART
ROAD
Ranchi is set to receive Jharkhand’s first 10-lane smart road, with
construction work now underway following the award of a `177 INFRASTRUCTURE
crore contract to West Bengal-based firm Ram Chandra Pal.
The corridor will stretch from Vivekananda School in Dhurva to the
Ring Road via Nayasarai, connecting major landmarks including
the Jharkhand High Court, Vidhan Sabha (state assembly), and
the CRPF camp.
Survey work has commenced on the project, with the State
Highway Authority of Jharkhand overseeing the initial phase. The
tender was floated approximately two months prior to the contract
award.
The road will feature a six-lane main carriageway designed for generate electricity for street lighting, alongside contemporary
high-speed and VIP vehicles, complemented by two-lane service drainage systems and seating areas.
roads on both sides for smaller private vehicles, creating the 10- The stretch up to Nayasarai will maintain the full 10-lane width,
lane configuration. Modern amenities planned for the corridor though the road will narrow after crossing the railway line, merging
include dedicated cycle tracks equipped with solar panels to into a two-lane route leading to the Ring Road.
PUNE-MUMBAI EXPRESSWAY 10-LANING FACES DELAY AS
MSRDC ORDERED TO CONDUCT FRESH SURVEYS BEFORE
EXPANSION
The proposed expansion of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway to
10 lanes is unlikely to start this year after Maharashtra’s Cabinet
Infrastructure Committee directed the MSRDC to undertake
additional surveys before finalising the project.
The fresh survey exercise is expected to take at least a month,
pushing back the approval and construction schedule. “It will
delay the finalisation of the plan,” an MSRDC official was quoted
as saying in a TOI report. The project is estimated to cost `14,260 crore. Since the state
The state government had already given in-principle approval to budget does not include a dedicated allocation, MSRDC
create a uniform 10-lane corridor, but the project is still awaiting has proposed borrowing from financial institutions. It has also
formal clearance from the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee. suggested extending toll collection by 15 years, from 2045 to
MSRDC had earlier planned to begin construction after the 2060, to help repay the financing.
monsoon, with September identified as the likely start date. Land acquisition is not expected to pose a major challenge as
“Now it is not expected to start in September, as per the earlier most of the required land is already with MSRDC.
timeline,” another MSRDC official was quoted in the report. The corporation had planned phased construction to keep traffic
The proposed work involves more than simply adding lanes. moving during the works. The earlier target was to complete the
MSRDC plans to strengthen the existing 24-year-old expressway widening within three years, by 2029-30, if construction started
while increasing its capacity to handle rising traffic. this year.

CCEA SANCTIONS `3,591 CRORE FOR NH-22 UPGRADE an average operating speed target of 80 kmph. The project will
IN BIHAR. also have no at-grade median openings, which the government
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by said would enable faster and safer movement of passenger and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the upgradation of freight traffic while reducing vehicle operating costs and improving
the 82.578-km Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of National fuel efficiency. The corridor will also improve connectivity to key
Highway-22 (NH-22) in Bihar to four lanes. social and religious destinations, including the Baba Garibnath
The project, to be developed under the hybrid annuity mode Temple, Mata Janki Temple, the Buddhist Circuit and the historic
(HAM), entails a total capital outlay of `3,590.73 crore, according Janaki Punaura Dham Temple in Sitamarhi.
to an official release. The project includes seven major bridges, including a 340-metre-
The upgraded corridor will connect the India-Nepal border at long bridge over the perennial Bagmati River. It will also feature
Sonbarsa with Muzaffarpur and integrate with NH-27, providing a three railway overbridges and two flyovers measuring 1,170 metres
key link to the East-West Corridor and Bihar’s wider highway network. and 270 metres, respectively.
The project is expected to ease congestion in densely populated The CCEA said the project would support economic and social
towns along the route, including Muzaffarpur, Muksudpur, Runni development in the Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi aspirational
Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra, Bhutahi and Sonbarsa. districts while strengthening connectivity between Bihar’s major
The highway has been designed for a speed of 100 kmph, with commercial, cultural and border regions.

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