Expressway From Rajasthan's Kota To Bhopal To Reduce Travel Time, Improve Connectivity

Kota: An expressway will be constructed rom Rajasthan's Kota to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to improve connectivity between the two states and reduce travel time.

At present, the 345-kilometre journey from Kota to Bhopal on National Highway 52 takes approximately 8 to 9 hours. The expressway will reduce the distance and the travel time to four to five hours.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had recently announced the 16,000 crore rupee expressway from Kota to Vidisha and Sagar at a programme in Madhya Pradesh. Siddharth Singhai, Project Director of National Highways Authority of India, said that the expressway is intended to be access-controlled. "The expressway aims to connect Bhopal and Kota and also provide a direct connection between the two cities and others on the way," he said.

Singhai said the traffic study and DPR for the Expressway will be finalised soon. "Everything will be determined based on the feasibility report. The feasibility report will be prepared first, followed by the DPR which will then be included in the annual plan," he said.

Singhai said no preliminary report or proposal has been submitted yet, but the project is estimated to be of around 300 kilometres. "However, the exact length will be determined only after the route and alignment are finalized. The expressway will originate from Kota and meet between Bhopal and Vidisha. It will not pass through Bhopal, as the city's planning is designed to accommodate future expansion and development, and the route will be connected via a bypass slightly away from the city," he said.

Singhai said Gadkari has made the announcement for the expressway only till Sagar. "It is also not yet certain whether the expressway will be built separately towards Sagar. Currently, National Highway 146 runs from Bhopal to Sagar via Vidisha. Whether the route alignment will connect to National Highway 146 or a separate route will be prepared will be decided based on feasibility and alignment," he clarified.

Singhai said that the route and alignment will be done considering the industries located in the area, the type of traffic, and how will the project help boost the Indian economy. "A thorough analysis will be conducted to determine which industrial corridors can be connected to the expressway to benefit them. The PM Gati Shakti portal will be used for this. After that, the project will proceed further. A connectivity between Kota and Bhopal will be established, with an eye on how to boost local trade," he said.

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