Union road transport and highway ministerNitinGadkarilaidthe foundation stone of the “country’s first double-decker elevated corridor” near Jamshedpur and promised road infrastructure worth Rs 2 lakh crore before 2024 in Jharkhand.

The Union minister on Thursday afternoon inaugurated and laid foundation stones of nine projects in Jamshedpur which entailed an estimated investment of Rs 3,378 crore, while he launched another 21 projects in Ranchi later in the evening incurring an expense of Rs 9,453 crore.

“This is the first four-lane double-decker elevated corridor in the country which would be built at a cost of Rs 1,876 crore. Once it is completed, it will ease traffic movement on the NH-33 connecting Ranchi and Calcutta. Today (Thursday) I am launching nearly Rs 13,296-crore projects in Jharkhand. But this is only a trailer for the film. I assure you that before 2024, road infrastructure worth Rs 2 lakh crore will be gifted to Jharkhand,” Gadkari said in Jamshedpur.

According to National Highway Authorities of India’s regional officer in Ranchi, S. K. Mishra, the bottom (ground) lane of the 10.4km-long double-decker corridorwillbeused by locals, while the first lane will be used by heavy vehicles moving between Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand and they can enter Jamshedpur through rampway alongside the elevated corridor.

The second lane will be used by only long-distance vehicles which do not have to touch Jamshedpur.

“Jharkhand is rich in mineral resources and the country needs a state like Jharkhand to be developed. Development can only happen in the form of four pillars — water, power, transport and communication. The double-decker elevated corridor and NH-33 projects are a step in this direction. We had a long history in the construction of the widening of NH-33 between Ranchi and Jamshedpur. But I am happy that the project has finally been completed,” said Gadkari who laid the foundation stones of nine road projects covering different districts of the Kolhan region.

Officials said that the double-decker corridor project will take over two years to be completed after the commencement of work. A 44km stretch between Jamshedpur and Mahulta on National Highway-33, constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore, was among the projects unveiled in Steel City.

A senior National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) official said that this stretch would provide Delhi-Calcutta and Bombay-Calcutta connectivity via Jamshedpur, significantly reducing travel time between the destinations.

The project will also drive commercial development in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, he stated. As part of a Bharatmala package, a four-lane access control road will be constructed on the Raipur-Dhanbad economic corridor of NH-320, the NHAI official said.

“After completion of the project, Raipur will be commercially connected to Dhanbad and travel time between Ranchi and Bokaro will reduce drastically, leading to the social and industrial development of both the states,” the official added.