New Delhi — The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a transformative project to widen and improve the Kalibor–Numaligarh section of NH-715 in Assam to a 4-lane highway — and this is no ordinary stretch of tarmac. This 85.675-km project doesn’t just promise faster commutes; it’s also building elevated “wildlife flyovers” through the Kaziranga National Park, ensuring elephants, deer, and rhinos have their own express lanes too.
🏗️ A Mega Highway with a Heart
With a total capital cost of ₹6,957 crore, the project will be developed on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. The existing two-lane highway (old NH-37) winds through densely populated towns like Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat), while a significant portion runs along or through Kaziranga National Park, home to the famed one-horned rhinoceros.
Every monsoon, Kaziranga floods, pushing animals to higher ground in Karbi-Anglong Hills, forcing them to cross the current highway — a dangerous, traffic-heavy zone. Accidents and tragic animal deaths have long been a pressing issue.
🌉 34.5 km Elevated Corridor: Wildlife Gets the High Road
To address this, the plan includes:
- 34.5 km of elevated corridor for safe, uninterrupted animal movement.
- 30.22 km of road upgrades for better traffic flow.
- 21 km of greenfield bypasses around Jakhlabandha and Bokakhat to reduce congestion.
This mix of wildlife-conscious engineering and traffic management aims to strike the perfect balance between development and conservation — like giving Kaziranga’s residents their own “metro line,” minus the ticket counter.
🌐 Seamless Connectivity Across Assam
The upgraded corridor will integrate with NH-127, NH-129, and SH-35, while connecting 3 railway stations (Nagaon, Jakhalabandha, Vishwanath Charli) and 3 airports (Tezpur, Lilabari, Jorhat). Beyond rhinos and tourists, it will boost connectivity to two socio-economic nodes, eight tourist and religious sites, and key logistics hubs — making it a crucial artery for Assam’s growth.
🦏 Boost to Tourism, Trade, and Jobs
Once complete, the Kalibor–Numaligarh stretch will not only ease travel between Guwahati, Kaziranga, and Numaligarh, but also become a catalyst for tourism, industrial development, and regional trade.
The project is expected to generate 15.42 lakh person-days of direct employment and 19.19 lakh person-days of indirect employment — a reminder that highways build more than roads; they build livelihoods.
This project blends infrastructure ambition with ecological sensitivity. Assam is getting a faster highway, wildlife is getting a safer passage, and travelers might soon get the unique experience of driving alongside — or under — migrating rhinos.
