India is set to strengthen road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast with two major high-speed corridor projects. The Union government has announced a 630-km corridor connecting Siliguri in West Bengal with Guwahati in Assam and Shillong in Meghalaya, with an estimated investment of ₹61,500 crore.
The project will combine newly constructed greenfield stretches with upgrades to existing highways. The first section, covering around 400 km between Siliguri and Guwahati, is estimated to cost ₹30,000 crore, with its alignment currently at the approval stage.
Another important section will connect Jorabat near Guwahati with Barapani near Shillong. The proposed greenfield route is expected to reduce the distance between the two locations from about 100 km to 66 km and bring travel time down from roughly two-and-a-half hours to one hour.
A third section between Shillong and Silchar is also planned. The proposed 165-km greenfield highway is expected to significantly shorten the existing route and reduce travel time.
Alongside this corridor, the government is also pursuing an expressway connection between Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Siliguri. Together, the projects are intended to create faster road connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast and improve movement across the region.
