Accelerating connectivity in the northeast region, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a concession agreement with M/s Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Private Limited (DRAIPL) to develop the 121 km Guwahati Ring Road under the build-operate toll (Toll) model at an estimated cost of Rs 57.29 billion, with no grants. The state government of Assam is bearing around 50 per cent of the land cost, exempting aggregates from royalty, and paying the state share of GST, which amounts to around Rs 12.70 billion. This brings the gross project cost to around Rs 70 billion.
The Guwahati ring road project will consist of three sections. This includes the access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, which is four-lane and spans 56 km; the 58 km long bypass on NH-27 that is now in place, and the expansion of the existing 8 km bypass from four lanes to six lanes. Notably, the project will also include the construction of a bridge spanning 3 km across the Brahmaputra River.
The Guwahati Ring Road would offer smooth access to the NH-27 East-West Corridor, which serves as the entry point to the nation’s northeast region. By avoiding the main traffic routes from West Bengal/ Bihar to Silchar, Nagaland, and Tripura, the ring road’s construction would help in the decongestion of Guwahati and the surrounding northeastern states.