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Declaring the proposed coastal road from Goplapur in Odisha to Digha in West Bengal as National Highway, Union minister for shipping, road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari today said, the detailed project report for the 500 km stretch will be ready in this year.
"About Rs 5,000 crore will be invested by the Centre for the project. I declare the 500 km road as National Highway," Gadkari said after inaugurating the NH-316 connecting Bhubaneswar and Puri.
The 67 km long four-lane Puri- Bhubaneswar road constructed with an investment of Rs 500 crore was dedicated to the nation ahead of Nabakalebar Rath Yatra.
He also assured that 40 km-long Rameshwar-Chandanpur Jagannath Sadak would be converted into a four-lane National Highway.
Recently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had urged the Centre to approve the coastal highway project connecting the beach town of Gopalpur with Digha.
The proposed road would help connect several upcoming ports in the state like Gopalpur, Astaranga, Paradeep, Kirtania and Chandipur. Since the state's coastline is susceptible to frequent cyclonic storms, a good coastal highway can aid in efficient rescue and relief operations in cyclone prone areas of the state, the chief minister had suggested.
