Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s urban and transport infrastructure is set for a major push, with a proposed outer ring road for Cuttack, modelled on the Bhubaneswar City Expansion Plan, emerging as a key focus area.
Law, Works, and Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan chaired a high-level review meeting of the Works Department at Lok Seva Bhavan on Monday. A series of road, highway, and connectivity projects was discussed in detail at the meeting.
The minister underlined that Odisha’s overall development cannot rely solely on the growth of a few large cities and stressed the need to strengthen connectivity across regions.
One of the most significant proposals discussed was the preparation of a detailed plan for an outer ring road around Cuttack, aimed at easing congestion, improving traffic flow, and supporting future urban expansion. The concept mirrors the Bhubaneswar City Expansion Plan and is expected to play a crucial role in decongesting the historic city while improving regional mobility.
To enhance east–west connectivity, the meeting also reviewed the proposal to widen National Highway-55 (Cuttack–Sambalpur) to six lanes. The project is seen as vital for improving access between western and eastern Odisha and boosting economic activity along the corridor.
The minister further emphasised the need to upgrade key State highways to four lanes to ensure seamless connectivity to all parts of the state. Departmental officials were directed to begin survey work and submit detailed reports to the government at the earliest.
Several urban and regional road projects were reviewed, including the Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan Road and Left Parallel Road, Patharagadia–Daruthenga Road. Discussions covered construction, widening, and land acquisition where required, Harichandan said in a post on X.
Major national highway projects were also taken up, such as the widening of the Konark–Puri–Satapada Road, a new alignment for the Pipili–Konark Road, improvement of the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda stretches, and the construction of the Jeypore and Balangir bypass roads.
Senior officials, including the principal secretary of the Works Department, Engineers-in-Chief, representatives of the National Highways Authority, officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and departmental engineers, were present at the meeting.
