Rs 15,431 Crore Baihata Chariali-Tezpur Four-Lane Highway Heads to Union Cabinet After PPPAC Nod

The proposed four-laning of the 136-kilometre stretch of National Highway 15 from Baihata Chariali in Kamrup district to Mission Chariali (Tezpur) in Sonitpur district is set to go before the Union Cabinet for approval, after the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) recommended the Rs 15,431 crore project for clearance.

The PPPAC is the apex body under the Department of Economic Affairs responsible for appraising PPP projects in the central sector. The Assam PWD (NH) recently handed over the stretch to the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), which prepared the Detailed Project Report and submitted it to the Central Government.

Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the development on X, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued support for Assam's infrastructure.

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The project involves 71 kilometres of brownfield widening of the existing two-lane highway and approximately 65 kilometres of greenfield stretches through bypasses and realignments.

Key infrastructure features include 15 major bridges, 19 flyovers, 43 underpasses, and an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) near Tezpur — the first such facility on this corridor.

Five bypasses are planned at Baihata Chariali (8 km), Sipajhar (10 km), Kharupetia (8 km), Dhekiajuli (5 km), and Mission Chariali–Tezpur (28 km).

Sarma said the project would remove a long-standing bottleneck on the existing two-lane highway between Baihata Chariali and Tezpur, and would complete seamless four-lane connectivity across Assam's entire North Bank — from the West Bengal border in Kokrajhar to the Arunachal Pradesh border in Dhemaji.

"A major step towards faster mobility, economic growth and stronger connectivity in the North Bank," he said.

The Mangaldoi Bypass — excluded from the current project scope — is already under construction under Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode at a sanctioned cost of Rs 535.03 crore. Physical progress on the 15-kilometre bypass stood at 59 per cent as of January 2026.