The first section will connect Siliguri with Guwahati over approximately 400 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 300 bn. Its route approval process is under way, and the section is intended to improve links between West Bengal and the northeastern states, including through the strategically important Siliguri Corridor.
The second section will connect Jorabat near Guwahati with Barapani near Shillong through a new greenfield highway. The proposed alignment will reduce the distance between the two locations from around 100 km to 66 km, while travel time is projected to fall from approximately two-and-a-half hours to about one hour.
The third section comprises a 165-km greenfield highway connecting Shillong with Silchar. The work order is scheduled for issue in November. The proposed road will shorten the existing route from approximately 230 km to 165 km, while the journey is projected to reduce from around eight hours to four hours.
The government is also developing a separate expressway connecting Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh with Siliguri. Together, the projects are intended to strengthen high-speed road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast. In Assam, 265 road projects covering approximately 4,700 km are under way at an estimated cost of Rs. 2 tn. Another 31 projects covering about 1,470 km have been proposed at an estimated cost of Rs. 920 bn. National highway length in the Northeast increased from 10,905 km in 2014 to 16,207 km by March 2025, according to government figures.