The Union ministry of road transport and highways has decided to build an elevated corridor along a stretch of NH10, the highway that connects Siliguri with Sikkim, in the northeast outskirts of the city.

Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari recently wrote to Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista that the elevated corridor would be built from Sevoke Military station to Sevoke Ghat — a distance of around 11km — said the MP on Tuesday.

“People traveling to Siliguri from Kalimpong, or Sikkim and vice-versa also have to face regular traffic snarls because of the railway level crossing at Sevoke (along the Dooars rail route). Once the elevated road is ready, this problem will be solved,” MP Bista said.

He said that in May, he had requested Union minister Gadkari to expedite the projects concerning the improvement of NH10, which is the “lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong and which also connects Darjeeling and the Dooars”.

“I had apprised him about the problems faced by people who use the highway and had also said the road is also significant from the perspective of national security,” said Bista.

In Gadkari’s letter, Bista said that the Union minister wrote that out of the 120km stretch of NH10, which connects Fulbari (on the southern outskirts of Siliguri) with Ranipool near Gangtok of Sikkim via Siliguri, Sevoke and Rangpo, around 15km has already been developed into a two/four lane road.

Also, work for four/six laning is in progressalong an 11.77km stretchbetween Balason and Sevoke Military Station (on thenortheast and northwest of Siliguri, respectively).

“The Union ministry has invited tenders to engage consultants to prepare the DPR (detailed project report) to build the elevated corridor from Sevoke Military Station to Sevoke ghat. The evaluation of the bids is in progress,” said a source.

The NH10, which connects Sikkim, has several landslide-prone zones that cause inconveniences for local residents, tourists and defence personnel alike. During monsoons, landslides often block the road. There are narrow stretches that need to be widened for smooth traffic flow.

Bista said that Gadkari, in his letter, had mentioned that the detailed project report (DPR) for widening the Sevoke-Rongpo-Ranipool stretch was in progress.

“The Union ministry is putting special emphasis on landslide mitigation,” Bista added.