Cabinet Clears ₹8,970 Crore Guwahati-Tezpur Highway with Emergency Landing Facility
The Union Cabinet on Thursday, August 6, 2026, approved the development of the 135.871 km four-lane access-controlled Guwahati-Tezpur Corridor of NH-15 in Assam. The project, with an estimated cost of ₹8,970.20 crore, will be built under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) toll mode, according to an official statement.
The corridor will connect Guwahati, the gateway to the North-East, with Tezpur, a key town on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra. The existing highway passes through several congested towns and has been overburdened with growing traffic. The new access-controlled alignment aims to offer a faster and safer alternative.
A distinguishing feature of the project is the construction of a 4.9 km emergency landing facility (ELF) on the Tezpur Bypass. This facility, finalised in coordination with the Indian Air Force (IAF), can be used by military aircraft during emergencies and also serves as a regular stretch of highway. It is expected to decongest the existing NH-27 (East-West Corridor) on the south side of the Brahmaputra, which currently handles a significant share of through traffic.
The project includes five major bypasses at Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli, and Tezpur to ease congestion in densely populated areas. It also provides for 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses, and one elephant underpass in the Tezpur bypass. These structures are designed to ensure uninterrupted movement, reduce travel time, and enhance road safety.
According to the government, the corridor will increase the average travel speed by 100% and cut travel time by half. The improvements are expected to boost fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle operating costs, contributing to lower logistics expenses for businesses and commuters.
The route will provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will integrate eight PM Gati-Shakti economic nodes (industrial parks), two social nodes (the aspirational districts of Darrang and Udalguri), three tourist nodes (Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park, and Orang National Park), and seven logistics nodes (three major railway stations, two airports, and two waterway terminals). This integration is expected to facilitate the faster movement of goods and passengers, supporting regional trade and tourism.
The corridor is also significant from a strategic perspective. The inclusion of an emergency landing facility underscores the defence needs of the region, while the elephant underpass highlights the project’s attention to wildlife conservation, particularly near protected areas.
The approval is part of the government’s broader push to upgrade highways in the North-East under various infrastructure programmes. The BOT mode of delivery is expected to attract private investment, reducing the financial burden on the exchequer while ensuring timely construction and maintenance.
With the Cabinet’s green signal, the project will proceed to detailed engineering and tendering. Once completed, it is likely to transform road travel in the region, providing a modern, efficient, and resilient highway that meets the needs of a growing economy.
