Govt to explore alternate road to connect Bhimtal with Almora in Uttarakhand; will help decongest Kainchi Dham stretch

NEW DELHI: NHIDCL, a company under road transport and highways ministry, will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for an alternate road connecting Bhimtal with Almora, two tourist spots in Uttarakhand, and to decongest Kainchi Dham stretch on the existing corridor. Frequent traffic congestion on the road leading to the Kainchi Dham (Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram) has become a major challenge for commuters on the Kumaon route.

TOI has learnt that the national highways and infrastructure development corporation ltd (NHIDCL) shared this update at a review meeting of highway projects in Uttarakhand chaired by highway minister Nitin Gadkari where Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday. NHIDCL also informed the meeting that the Silkyara tunnel (Silkyara Bend–Barkot tunnel) is targeted for completion by March 2027. The project progress was impacted after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Nov 2023.

Officials said reviewing the projects, Gadkari urged the Uttarakhand govt to allow taking out dredging materials from rivers in the state for construction of highways. NHAI officials also suggested that the state govt can follow an online system of states like Haryana for allowing quarrying for raw materials for road construction activities as these are essential for economic development of the region and improving mobility of people.

"The progress of Chardham road and link to Mansarovar were also discussed in detail. All highway construction agencies were directed to expedite completion of ongoing projects,” an official said.

In an official release, Uttarakhand govt said that Dhami raised several state-related issues concerning NHs and requested approval for proposals, including the Rishikesh Bypass, Almora-Danya-Panar-Ghat road, Jyolikot-Khairna-Gairsain-Karnprayag road, and the Almora-Bageshwar-Kanda-Udiyari Bend road.

It added that during discussions on the proposed road projects, it was noted that under NH-7, a four-lane Rishikesh Bypass is proposed from Teenpani via Yog Nagari to Kharasrot, with a length of 12.7 km and an estimated cost of Rs 1,161.3 crore. The project includes a 4.9 km elevated stretch for three elephant corridors, a 200-metre-long bridge over the Chandrabhaga river, and a 76-metre-long road over bridge at the railway portal.