The ₹8,300.79 crore project was approved by the cabinet in June and will be awarded under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM). “The 79.4-km-long, four-lane, access-controlled Rameshwar to Konark Package-I of the project received 10 bids and 80.7-km-long, two-lane with Paved Shoulder Konark to Paradeep Package-II received seven bids, reflecting robust competition and keen interest from the participants,” it said.
The new coastal highway from Rameshwar to Paradeep is expected to generate 5.36 million direct man-days and 6.7 million indirect man-days of employment during the construction period. With a design speed of 100 km per hour, the project will provide direct and faster connectivity to key tourist destinations such as Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri beach and Konark Sun Temple.