"Assam’s infrastructure boost: PM Modi to kick off the ₹6,957 crore Kaziranga elevated corridor this month."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lay the foundation stone for a ₹6,000-crore project to widen and upgrade the Kaliabor–Numaligarh stretch of National Highway-715 in the third week of January, with January 17 or 18 likely dates, officials said.

The flagship project includes a 34.5-km elevated wildlife corridor through Kaziranga National Park, aimed at ensuring safe animal movement and preventing roadkill on one of the most accident-prone highway stretches in the region. The highway currently carries heavy traffic, with the annual average daily traffic during the 2024–25 financial year estimated at about 13,800 Passenger Car Units (PCU), underscoring the need for capacity augmentation.

For decades, the existing two-lane highway passing through Kaziranga has posed a grave threat to wildlife. During the monsoon season, when large parts of the park are submerged, animals such as one-horned rhinos, elephants and deer migrate towards higher ground in the Karbi Anglong Hills, crossing the busy road amid continuous vehicular movement. Conservation groups and official records have repeatedly highlighted the deaths of dozens of animals every year due to speeding vehicles.

Experts attribute the problem to a narrow right of way, poor road geometry and the absence of wildlife-friendly infrastructure, factors that have turned the highway into a conflict zone between development needs and conservation imperatives.

The proposed elevated corridor is expected to address these concerns by allowing uninterrupted animal movement beneath the roadway while also easing traffic congestion. In addition, the project includes the four-laning of 30.22 km of the existing highway and the construction of two greenfield bypasses—11.5 km at Jakhalabandha and 9.5 km at Bokakhat—to divert traffic away from congested and ecologically sensitive stretches.

Officials said the combined measures are expected to significantly reduce accidents, improve traffic flow and help restore ecological balance in and around the national park.

Beyond conservation, the project is projected to be a major connectivity boost for Assam. The upgraded corridor will link Guwahati with Numaligarh, integrate with NH-127, NH-129 and SH-35, and connect three airports—Tezpur, Lilabari and Jorhat—as well as three railway stations. It will also improve access to economic clusters, tribal districts and tourist destinations such as the Kakochang waterfall and the Deopahar archaeological site.

The government estimates that the project will generate about 15.42 lakh person-days of direct employment and 19.19 lakh person-days indirectly. Once completed, it is expected to significantly strengthen Assam’s transport infrastructure while safeguarding the ecological heritage of Kaziranga National Park.