Cabinet approves ₹8,970 crore Guwahati-Tezpur highway project in Assam

The four-lane access-controlled NH-15 corridor will be developed under the BOT Toll model to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and support economic growth in Assam

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved an ₹8,970 crore corridor between Guwahati and Tezpur in Assam. The four-lane access-controlled corridor of National Highway-15 (NH-15) will be developed in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Toll mode.

 

This is the second major highway project in the state proposed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the BOT mode, after the Cabinet approved the ₹5,729 crore Guwahati Ring Road project in April 2025.

 

The government has been trying to revive the model to encourage private investment in Indian infrastructure. Under BOT, the developer bears the entire cost of the project in exchange for toll collection rights over a specified period.

 

 

The 135-km Guwahati-Tezpur corridor envisages the construction of an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) (4.9 km) at the Tezpur bypass, which has been finalised in coordination with the Indian Air Force. The project will also decongest the existing NH-27 (East-West Corridor) on the southern side of the Brahmaputra river.

 

"The project includes construction of five major bypasses with a total length of 58.7 km, thereby easing congestion on stretches passing through densely populated areas such as Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur," a Cabinet statement said.

 

The project will double average travel speed, improve overall road safety, enhance fuel efficiency, and lower vehicle operating costs, thereby improving regional mobility and supporting socio-economic development, the Cabinet said.

 

The project will provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It also seeks to improve connectivity to tourist destinations such as the Kamakhya Temple and Kaziranga National Park.