Rs 35-Cr project to add 5 new foot overbridges along NH-27 from Jalukbari to Khanapara

Guwahati, Aug 5: Guwahati is set to get five new foot overbridges along the National Highway 27 which will ease road crossings at some of the city’s busiest stretches.

The project, estimated at Rs 30-35 crore, is expected to be completed by July 2026. The project aims to enhance road safety and streamline pedestrian movement along busy stretches of the highway, which have seen increasing vehicular and pedestrian traffic in recent years.

According to a senior official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the foot overbridges will come up at strategic and high-footfall locations including Jalukbari (near the entrance of the Assam Engineering College), Tetelia, near CPWD Office in Gorchuk, near Royal Global University and Lalmati (Near Games Village).

The structures will be equipped with escalators to facilitate easy travel, particularly for schoolchildren and the elderly.

“The work on the foot overbridges will begin shortly and is scheduled for completion within the next year. Shiva Build-Tech Private Limited received the work order,” the official told The Assam Tribune.

“Dedicated bus bays are also being planned to streamline public transport operations and reduce random stoppages that cause delays and safety hazards in the route,” he added.

Additionally, work is in progress to install streetlights along the Jalukbari-Khanapara stretch, with the project expected to be completed within September this year.

The NHAI through its Project Implementation Unit (PIU) Guwahati has already completed the upgrading of the 18-km Guwahati Bypass on NH-27 from a four-lane to a six-lane corridor. The stretch from Khanapara to Jalukbari, which earlier took up to two hours during peak hours, can now be covered in just 15-20 minutes. Key upgrades included four flyovers at Basistha, Lokhra, Gorchuk, and Boragaon and two underpasses at Beharbari and Jayanagar, easing traffic congestion in the route.