Good news for commuters, NHAI to take over construction of two new expressways in Rajasthan, set to reduce travel time to..., will connect THESE major cities

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken over the construction of two key expressways in Rajasthan, the Jaipur-to-Pachpadra and Bikaner-to-Kotputli highways, as per TOI report. These greenfields expressways were intially announced during the state budget, and was earlier proposed to be constructed by state government agencies. 

Rajasthan government is planning to construct nine new greenfield expressways. These will cover approximately 2,756 km, as Rajasthan's "Vision 2047" plan. Five of these expressways are targeted for completion by 2030. Jaipur-to-Pachpadra and Bikaner-to-Kotputli highways will be built by NHAI. Others , including Beawar-Bharatpur, Kotputli-Kishangarh, Jaipur-Bhilwara, Jalore-Jhalawar, Ajmer-Banswara, Jaipur-Phalodi and Sri Ganganagar-Kotputli will be built by state government. 

Two Expressways in Rajasthan to be constructed by NHAI

The 350-kilometre Jaipur-to-Pachpadra expressway was earlier proposed at an estimated cost of ₹11,492 crore. This expressway will significantly reduce travel time, currently the present distance is 426 km, which takes 7.5 hours to cover. The expressway will pass through major cities like Kishangarh, Ajmer, and Jodhpur. 

Another expressway project, a 295-kilometre-long highway between Bikaner and Kotputli, with an estimated cost of ₹10,839 crore is to be constructed by NHAI. At present, the distance between Bikaner and Kotputli is 340 hours, which takes 6 hours to cover. This expressway will cover the distance in Just three hours, reducing the distance to jut 45 km. It will provide smoother connectivity to major northern cities such as Noida, Gurugram, Delhi, and Agra-Mathura.

Both expressways will be built using Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM0, that is a method that mixes  Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models.

An official told, “Under this model, the contractor is responsible for the design and construction of the road, while the govt provides up to 40 per cent of the project cost in instalments during the construction phase. The remaining investment is recovered by the developer through toll revenue after the completion of the road.”