Nagpur-Katol 4-lane Project Cost Surges by 100 Crore, Delays Expected
The 4-laning initiative for the Nagpur-Katol road is predicted to face a year-long setback, alongside an escalated cost of approximately 700 crore instead of the initial 590 crore. The incorporation of wildlife mitigation measures is reported to be the cause of the cost increase. The absolute expense will be determined in the upcoming month.
Within the 48.2-kilometer stretch of Nagpur-Katol four-laning, around 25 km of work has faced obstacles. While stages 1 and 2 clearances were secured for this project, parts of the road were designated as a tiger corridor last year. Consequently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had to incorporate wildlife mitigation measures recommended by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Once this road is transformed into a four-lane route, the journey duration from Nagpur to Katol is expected to reduce to 45 minutes. Currently, due to ongoing construction, the travel time takes two hours.
Regarding the 6 km section between Naya Katol Naka Square and Fetri Hanuman Temple, decisions are pending. The Public Works Department (PWD) executive engineer, Naresh Borkar, stated that based on feasibility, it could become a two or four-lane concrete road.
Some experts suggest that the road from Police Headquarters to Friends Colony is already adequately wide. Instead, they propose constructing a flyover from Naya Katol Naka Square to the temple. Additionally, a minor underpass might be built at the intersection of this road and the Mankapur-Wadi stretch of the Outer Ring Road. This would facilitate uninterrupted vehicular movement between Wadi and Mankapur, eliminating the need to halt at the Naya Katol Naka Square signal. Detailed Project Reports (DPR) are being prepared for these ideas, including a 2.5 km flyover.
Uncertainty looms over a proposed 2.5 km flyover from Police Headquarters near Katol Naka Square to the petrol pump at New Katol Naka. A feasibility analysis is underway for both a two-lane and a four-lane configuration for this stretch. If a four-lane flyover materializes, the road and bridge combination traversing Friends Colony would amount to eight lanes. DPRs are in the works for these concepts.
Project Highlights:
Awarded tender on October 29, 2021-Work initiation in December 2021-Identification of 12 villages in the tiger corridor in January 2022, necessitating road construction aligned with wildlife movement-The initial project timeline of 24 months, with only 50% of the work completed and four months remaining-Encompasses two Railway Over Bridges (ROBs) between Katol and Kalmeshwar, along with the construction of an 11 km Katol bypass-Wildlife clearance is expected by the end of the current month
