New Delhi

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said the state is rapidly advancing towards a smooth, safe and future-ready road network under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the sustained efforts of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Dhami made the remarks after participating in a review meeting on National Highway projects at Bharat Mandapam here, chaired by Gadkari, an official release said.

During the meeting, the chief minister raised several state-specific issues related to national highways and sought approvals for key infrastructure proposals, including the Rishikesh Bypass, Almora–Danya–Panar Ghat road, Jyolikot–Khairna–Gairsain–Karnprayag road, and the Almora–Bageshwar–Kanda–Udiyari Bend road.

Officials informed that under NH-07, a four-lane Rishikesh Bypass of 12.67 km has been proposed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,161.27 crore. The project includes a 4.876 km elevated stretch to protect three elephant corridors, a 200-metre bridge over the Chandrabhaga river and a 76-metre road-over-bridge at the railway portal. A separate 76-metre ROB at Shyampur railway crossing, costing Rs 318 crore, has also been proposed to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement.

For NH-309B, a two-lane widening of the 76-km Almora–Danya–Panar Ghat stretch has been proposed at a cost of Rs 988 crore. Under NH-109, a two-lane widening alignment is planned for the 235-km Jyolikot–Khairna–Gairsain–Karnprayag road. Works for three packages of the 84.04-km Almora–Bageshwar–Kanda–Udiyari Bend road under NH-309A have been proposed at a cost of Rs 1,001.99 crore, with forest clearance already approved for one section.

Dhami said Uttarakhand has a national highway network of 3,723 km, of which 597 km is being developed by NHAI. Over 336 km of projects have been completed, while work on nearly 193 km is underway at a cost exceeding Rs 15,890 crore.

He said major projects under the Rs 12,769-crore Char Dham Mahamarg Project have significantly improved pilgrimage, tourism, border connectivity, disaster management and economic activity.

Projects under the Delhi–Dehradun Corridor, including a six-lane access-controlled highway, Dehradun and Haridwar bypasses, and border connectivity to the Banbasa ICP, are strengthening regional and international connectivity.

Road safety measures, including black spot correction and modern safety systems, are being implemented statewide, while environmentally sensitive construction methods are being adopted in wildlife zones.

Civil work on the Silkyara–Polgaon tunnel is nearly 90 per cent complete, with the project targeted for completion by March 2027.

Gadkari assured that appropriate action would be taken on the proposals and directed officials to ensure timely completion of ongoing projects with quality standards.

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Union Ministers Ajay Tamta and Harsh Malhotra, along with senior officials, were present at the meeting.