Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the projects approved at the CCEA meetingNEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved the construction of a 135.871-km, four-lane access-controlled Guwahati–Tezpur corridor on National Highway-15 in Assam at an estimated cost of Rs 8,970.20 crore.The project will be developed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model as part of the National Highways (Original) programme.According to the CCEA, the corridor will include a 4.9-km Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Tezpur bypass, planned in coordination with the Indian Air Force (IAF). The facility is expected to strengthen strategic infrastructure while helping decongest the existing NH-27 (East-West Corridor) on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.The project also involves the construction of five major bypasses spanning 58.7 km to ease traffic congestion in densely populated areas, including Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur.Other key components include 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses, an elephant underpass on the Tezpur bypass, and about 210 km of service roads to facilitate local traffic movement along the access-controlled highway.The new corridor is expected to double average travel speeds, cut travel time by nearly half, improve road safety, enhance fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle operating costs, contributing to greater regional connectivity and socio-economic development.The CCEA said the highway would provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics hubs across Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. It would also improve access to eight PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, including industrial parks; two aspirational districts—Darrang and Udalguri; three major tourist destinations—Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park; and seven logistics hubs comprising three major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterway terminals.