Odisha to upgrade all state highways to four lanes

The Odisha government has decided to upgrade all state highways to four-lane roads to improve connectivity and ensure smoother traffic movement across the state.

The decision was taken at a review meeting of the Works Department chaired by Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan . The minister directed concerned officials to begin survey work immediately and submit detailed project reports (DPRs) for government approval.

“State highways connecting different parts of Odisha must be four-lane roads to facilitate seamless traffic flow and support the state’s overall development,” Harichandan said, emphasising the need to strengthen road connectivity beyond major urban centres.

While the government has not yet announced a final cost estimate for the project, industry norms indicate that four-laning of highways in India typically costs around ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore per kilometre in plain terrain, with higher costs in urban, hilly or complex stretches. Based on this estimate, the total expenditure for upgrading Odisha’s entire state highway network is expected to run into tens of thousands of crores of rupees , subject to survey findings and DPR approvals.

Though no formal timeline has been announced, the massive four-laning exercise is expected to be carried out in a phased manner over the next five to ten years , depending on land acquisition, funding approvals and project clearances.

The minister also stressed the need to prepare a plan for an Outer Ring Road in Cuttack , on the lines of Bhubaneswar’s city expansion project. He further reviewed proposals to widen National Highway-55 (Cuttack–Sambalpur) to strengthen east-west connectivity.

Other projects discussed included widening the Konark–Puri–Satapada road , a new alignment for the Pipili–Konark road , construction of the Cuttack–Kandarpur and Kandarpur–Balikuda roads, Jaipur bypass , Balangir bypass , and several new road projects within Bhubaneswar .