Guwahati, August 7: In a significant push for infrastructure development in Assam, the Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a new 135.87-km access-controlled four-lane highway connecting Guwahati and Tezpur. The ambitious project, estimated at ₹8,970.20 crore, is expected to transform transportation across the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River while strengthening regional connectivity.
The corridor will be developed along National Highway-15 under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Toll model. Once completed, the expressway is expected to cut travel time between Guwahati and Tezpur by nearly half, allowing faster and smoother movement of passengers and commercial vehicles.
A key feature of the project is a 4.9-km Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Tezpur bypass, which is being planned in coordination with the Indian Air Force (IAF). The facility will enable military aircraft to use the highway as an emergency landing strip, adding strategic importance to the corridor.
To improve traffic flow, the highway will bypass several busy towns through dedicated routes at Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur. The new alignment is expected to reduce congestion in urban areas while providing uninterrupted high-speed travel.
The project also includes extensive supporting infrastructure, featuring 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses, and a specially designed elephant underpass near the Tezpur bypass to ensure safe wildlife movement in the region.
The new corridor is also expected to reduce traffic pressure on the existing NH-27 East-West Corridor, which currently carries a significant share of traffic along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.
Welcoming the Cabinet’s decision, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Cabinet for approving what he described as another landmark infrastructure investment for the state. He said the project complements several major initiatives already underway, including the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, Guwahati Ring Road, Silchar Expressway, and the proposed Gohpur–Numaligarh underwater tunnel.
According to the government, the expressway will improve road safety, reduce fuel consumption, lower transportation costs and enhance the efficiency of freight movement across Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. Officials believe the project will also accelerate economic growth by improving access to industrial zones, tourism destinations and logistics hubs.
The corridor is expected to strengthen connectivity with eight PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, two Aspirational Districts—Darrang and Udalguri—as well as major tourist attractions including Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park, and Orang National Park. It will also improve links to key transport infrastructure such as railway stations, airports and inland waterway terminals, making it one of Assam’s most significant road development projects in recent years.
