Work on Ranchi’s much touted smart roads, or thoroughfares with underground ducts for drains and electrical and optic fibre cables, is likely to begin from the fourth week of January, more than a year after these were announced.

According to sources in Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (Juidco), work will commence on three roads, namely, the 2.55km stretch between Birsa Chowk and Birsa Munda Airport via Hinoo, the 8.85km stretch between Raj Bhavan and Birsa Chowk (via Main Road) and 2.88km stretch between Raj Bhavan and Kantatoli Chowk (via Circular Road, Lalpur).

Work on the three, four-lane roads is expected to start on January 21, said the sources, as per a directive issued last week by state urban development secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh.

“Private contractors will start work simultaneously on all three roads that had been delayed due to land acquisition and encroachment issues,” said Juidco general manager (public works) Ashok Kumar, adding that if they did encounter encroachments now, the district administration would undertake anti-encroachment drives.

“We expect to complete construction within two years, tentatively by January 2021,” he said.

According go the sources, the Birsa Chowk and Birsa Munda Airport stretch would cost Rs 42.52 crore and would be constructed by Mini Axle from Ranchi.

The Raj Bhavan-Birsa Chowk stretch, costing Rs 162.7 crore, and the Raj Bhavan-Kantatoli Chowk stretch, costing Rs 92.99, would be built by Amar Project.

Explaining the idea of a smart road, Kumar said, “The idea will be to make utility ducts underneath the roads. While there will be a duct for drains, there will be another common duct for optical fibre cables, electrical wires, domestic gas pipes and water supply lines.”

Each flank of the road would vary between 7 meter and 9 meter, while the width of pavements and cycling tracks would be between 2.5 meter and 4 meter. “The ducts will be under the pavements and cycling track,” Kumar said. The roads will also have dedicated parking bays for buses and cars.

“The common ducts will negate the need for the roads to be dug up frequently for laying utility cables and pipes, something that leads to traffic congestion,” the Juidco official added.

President Ram Nath Kovind had laid the foundation of two of the three smart roads (Birsa Chowk to Birsa Munda Airport and Raj Bhavan to Birsa Chowk) during the Statehood Day function in November 2017. Chief minister Raghubar Das laid the foundation stone of the third road (Raj Bhavan-Kantatoli) in January 2018.

The tender process for the fourth smart road, an 8km stretch between Raj Bhavan and Booty More, would be completed soon, officials claimed.