First Private Toll Road Open To Traffic
After years of preparation, the governments programme of privatising the roads sector has finally taken off.
The distinction of becoming the countrys first toll road constructed with private sector participation has gone to the Thane-Bhivandi bypass in Maharashtra. The bypass constructed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme by Mumbai-based Ideal Road Builders Ltd opened to traffic on June 11.
The concession period during which the promoters are expected to recover the investment is seven years and eight months, after which the asset will return to the state government for further operation.
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The initial traffic flow is said to be highly encouraging. A National Highway Authority of India official, who visited the site after the inauguration, said the users response was so overwhelming that it could mean a windfall for the promoters.
The bypass is on the national highway number three on the Bombay-Nasik route and offers a vital link for speedy and congestion-free long-distance travel.
The length of the project is 23.624 km, with an additional 2,700 km of links and loops. The width of the carriageway is seven metres with 2.5 metres of strengthened shoulders on either side.
The total width thus works out to 12 metres, with one metre earthen shoulder on either side.
The cost of construction was Rs 16.50 crore, with maintenance and renewal coat cost being Rs 3 crore.
The nature of the contract included widening, improvement and maintenance.
A tripartite agreement was signed for the project between the Centre, the state government and the private promoter on September 12, 1995.
The concession period was seven years and eight months. The construction started on November 1, 1995. The working period was 15 months: November 1995 to May 1996 and October 1996 to May 1997.
The Thane-Bhivandi bypass is one of the first three road projects taken up with private participation.
The other two are the Udaipur bypass in Rajasthan and the Chalthan road overbridge in Gujarat.
Bypass and bridge projects in which private developers have evinced interest under the BOT scheme include the Nellore bypass, Coimbatore bypass, Hubly-Dharwad bypass, Vivekanand bridge and Narmada bridge, besides six bridges in Andhra Pradesh. These are in addition to three highway projects for which tenders were floated recently. Twenty-seven companies have collected the bid documents.
NHAI officials say the success of the Thane-Bhivandi project under the BOT scheme would go a long way in encouraging private investors to put money in the roads sector.