India has approved a transformative Rs 18,662-crore infrastructure project in Assam that will establish a four-lane, access-controlled greenfield corridor connecting Numaligarh on NH-715 and Gohpur on NH-15. At present, this journey of 240 km takes six hours via Kaliabhambhora near Silghat on NH-52. The new corridor, featuring India’s first underwater road-and-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra River, will dramatically improve connectivity, reduce travel time, and provide significant socio-economic benefits to Assam and neighbouring northeast states including Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
The project, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, will be developed under an engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) model. The corridor passes through key locations such as Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park, and Biswanath town, linking 11 economic nodes, 3 social nodes, 2 tourist nodes, 4 major railway stations, 2 airports, and 2 inland waterways. Once completed, it will facilitate seamless multi-modal integration, enhance freight efficiency, reduce logistics costs, and unlock new avenues for trade, industrial development, and regional economic growth.
Strategically, the tunnel and corridor will play a pivotal role in strengthening connectivity between major economic centres in the northeast and supporting national security priorities. In line with these initiatives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a historic landing at the first emergency landing field in the northeast aboard a C-130J aircraft, highlighting the growing strategic importance of the Dibrugarh-Moran stretch of national highways. The combination of infrastructure, connectivity, and strategic planning underscores India’s commitment to the development and integration of its northeast region.
