PM Modi To Inaugurate Rajasthan Section Of 1256 km Amritsar Jamnagar Expressway On July 8

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Rajasthan section of 1256 km Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway on July 8 in a function at Bikaner.

Also known as the Amritsar Jamnagar Economic Corridor, the expressway has been conceptualised and developed as 4-6 lane (partially access-controlled highway) traversing through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The expressway was developed by National Highway Authority Of India (NHAI) at a cost of Rs 80,000 crores under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I program. The project is largely funded by National Investment and Infrastructure Funds (NIIF).

While over 900 km of the expressway is a greenfield alignment, the remaining 300 km is being built by upgrading existing national highways.

Upon completion, the Amritsar Jamnagar Expressway will become India’s second longest expressway after Delhi Mumbai Expressway (1,350) Km.

The Amritsar Jamnagar Expressway begins at Tibba Village (Kapurthala District in Punjab and close to Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway ) and ends in Jamnagar. It will link the cities of Bhatinda, Chautala, Rasisar, Deogarh, Sanchore, Santalpur, and Malia along the route.

Rajasthan is likely to be a big beneficiary of this expressway. 50 percent of the expressway i.e. 637 km will pass through 6 districts of the state-Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jalore. 

The expressway will cover 155 Km in Punjab, 85 Km in Haryana and 380 Km in Gujarat. 

The construction work of the expressway was divided into 8 sections (5 greenfield alignment and 3 brownfield upgrades) and awarded via 30 construction packages.

Multiple construction companies are involved in the construction of this expressway including CDS Infra Projects, DRA Infracon, Gawar Constructions, GR Infra Ltd, Jiang-xi, MKC Infrastructure ltd, NKC Projects pvt ltd, etc.

 Union minister Nitin Gadkari recently inspected the under-construction Amritsar-Jamnagar greenfield corridor 

The expressway is regarded as strategically important, as it will connect 3 big oil refineries of HMEL Bathinda, HPCL Barmer and RIL Jamnagar, India's largest refinery. The under construction refinery in Barmer, set to be completed by March 2024.

Once the highway becomes fully operational, the journey between Amritsar and Jamnagar will come down to 12 hours from 23 hours it takes currently.