Status of National Highways in #Tripura
Four projects are currently on in the state, with a total length of 147 km and total project cost of Rs. 1162 crore. One project with a length of 24 km and total project cost of Rs. 42 Crore is likely to be awarded in next three months, and another 3 projects with a length of 110 km and cost of Rs.470 crore are under DPR and various stages of award. These are likely to be awarded in the next one year.
Under the Central Road Fund (CRF), Rs 20.42 crore have been allocated to the state during 2016-17. 12 projects amounting to Rs. 57 crore have been sanctioned under the scheme. Four new National Highways have been declared in the state with a length of 388 km.
Some of the important projects include Agartala – Khowai, which is a new highway with a length of 55 km. The ongoing projects include Agartala – Udaipur which has 48 km with a cost of Rs 369 crore, being implemented by NHIDCL and due for completion in 2018 and Udaipur – Subroom highway which has a length of 74 kms and project cost of Rs 498 crore and is due for completion in 2018.
The road connectivity to Tripura has been adversely affected due to the bad condition of about 7 km of NH-44 between Lowairpoa to Churaibari , but major efforts are being taken to restore the highway. Joint Secretary and Chief Engineer level officers have visited the site. Measures like bamboo piling followed by sand blanket layering, filling up of potholes with stone, metal and granular material were taken to stabilize the roads. Innovative technology geo-textile and Geo-Grid and soil stabilization are being used. IIT Guwahati has been requested to find long term solutions to the perennial problem. Similarly, restoration work on alternative road from Chandkhira to Kurti bridge (NH-208A) in Assam has also been taken up by the PWD. Road construction and maintenance in the North Eastern states, as also in other hilly regions is fraught with difficulty. Slope and soil stabilization are major concerns here, especially due to the heavy rainfall. It is very difficult to proceed with construction work during the rainy seasons as the area becomes slushy due to water logging.
