NHAI Receives 17 Bids for ₹8,300 Crore Odisha Coastal Highway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has received 17 bids for the construction of a new 160.18-km coastal highway between Rameshwar and Paradeep in Odisha. The strong response has come for both packages of the project, which has a total cost of ₹8,300.79 crore.

The project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). The first package will cover a 79.4-km stretch between Rameshwar and Konark. It will be a four-lane, access-controlled highway and received 10 bids.

The second package will cover 80.7 km between Konark and Paradeep. It will be a two-lane highway with paved shoulders and received seven bids. The response shows strong interest from companies in taking part in the project.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the project in June 2026. The combined capital cost of the two packages is ₹8,300.79 crore.

The highway is being planned with a design speed of 100 km per hour. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the new road could reduce travel time between Rameshwar and Paradeep by around two hours and 30 minutes.

The new corridor will provide an alternative route to NH-16 and NH-316. It will improve road connectivity to important locations including Puri, Konark and Paradeep Port. It will also improve access to the upcoming Puri International Airport and developing ports such as Astarang and Subarnarekha.

The highway will pass through Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts. This will improve links between important tourism, religious and economic locations along Odisha’s coast.

The project is also expected to help reduce pressure on existing roads. Parts of the Puri-Satpada and Puri-Konark routes have high local traffic and roadside development. This makes it harder for long-distance vehicles to move at higher speeds.

The new access-controlled highway is expected to make long-distance travel faster and smoother. It could also reduce fuel use, vehicle operating costs and logistics costs. The government expects the project to support economic activity across the coastal region.

The highway is also expected to create employment during construction. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways estimates that the project could generate about 53.6 lakh direct man-days and 67 lakh indirect man-days of employment.

For Odisha, the project is important because it connects roads, tourism locations, ports and an upcoming airport through one coastal corridor. Better road connectivity could also support the movement of goods and improve access to major economic centres.

The latest bidding response is now a key step in moving the project towards construction. With 17 bids received across the two packages, NHAI has seen strong interest in the ₹8,300.79 crore coastal highway project.