MoRTH gives NH status to 93 roads in M'rashtra

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) in a recent move has given in principal approval for declaring 93 selected stretches of state roads as new national highways in Maharashtra. The cumulative length of the selected roads is 10,348 km of which, 60 stretches with an aggregate length of 6,385 km are assigned to the state's Public Works Department (PWD), while 33 stretches with an aggregate length of 3,963 km have been assigned to Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The ministry has also sanctioned the appointment of consultants for the preparation of the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for these roads and which are currently underway. These roads, for which the DPRs are currently in the process, will either be four-lane or upgraded to two-lane paved shoulders, depending on the traffic on these stretches. The feasibility reports are expected to be ready within a month's time and the DPRs based on which bids will be invited are expected to be completed by December 2016. Some of these roads may extend into the states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat, but the exact details will be known once the DPRs are ready, Vice Chairman and MD of MSRDC, Radheshyam Mopalwar said, adding that the feasibility reports and DPRs are approved and the construction works have already been assigned by MoRTH.