National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has received an overwhelming response from the bidders for the implementation of 160 km long Access Controlled Greenfield Coastal National Highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep in Odisha. Bids were invited by NHAI for construction of the project in two packages and both packages received encouraging participation from the bidders.
The 79.4 km long 4 lane access-controlled Rameshwar to Konark Package-I of the project received 10 bids, and 80.7 km long 2-lane with Paved Shoulder Konark to Paradeep Package-II received seven bids, reflecting robust competition and keen interest from the participants. The project will be awarded on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
The new coastal Highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in June 2026 with a combined total capital cost of Rs.8,300.79 crores. During construction, the project is expected to have a potential to generate 53.6 Lakhs direct man-days and 67 lakh indirect man-days of employment.
With a design speed of 100 km/hour, the project will provide direct & fast connectivity to key tourist places like Sri Jagganath Temple, Puri Beach & Konark Sun Temple and help to reduce travel time between Rameshawar and Paradeep by about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Rameshwar-Paradeep section of Coastal Highway will offer an alternate route for NH-16 & NH-316 and improve connectivity to Puri, Konark, Paradeep Port, upcoming Puri International Airport, facilitate smooth transportation to developing ports like Astarang and Subarnarekha as well as provide connectivity to Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts in Odisha.
The existing NH-16 is part of the Golden Quadrilateral and passes through major towns of Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Whereas NH-316 connects Bhubaneswar to Puri and further extends towards Satapada and Konark. The current sections along Puri–Satapada and Puri–Konark stretches has nearly 40% ribbon development along the corridor with high local commuter traffic, making the corridor unsuitable for high-speed long-distance vehicular movement.
The Rameshwar-Paradeep corridor will provide faster access-controlled connectivity, reduce fuel consumption, carbon emissions & vehicle operating costs, while lowering logistics costs and supporting economic growth across the region.
