Ranchi, Dec. 25: The road sector has never looked so promising in the state.

Projects worth Rs 2,000 crore, which include Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported Govindpur-Sahebganj stretch, four sections of the much-awaited Ranchi Ring Road and Ranchi-Patratu-Ramgarh Road, are set to start in 2010.

If the mood is upbeat, it’s because of ADB’s interest in improving the 310km road and the good experience of the state with the private-public partnership model involving Mumbai-based agency IL&FS.

Jharkhand Accelerated Road Development Company Limited (JARDCL), a joint venture between the state and IL&FS, has finalised tenders for four phases of the Ring Road project, besides zeroing in on the Ranchi-Patratu-Ramgarh Road following Jindal Steel & Power Limited’s decision to commission a 3MT per year integrated steel plant near Patratu.

The construction of four sections of the Ring Road has been given to Gujarat-based Sadbhav Engineering whose cumulative cost will be around Rs 450 crore. The Ring Road will have six lanes and four sections will have a total length of 32km.

Another Gujarat-based construction major, Montecarlo Construction Limited, has been asked to execute the 64km Ranchi-Patratu-Ramgarh Road — four/two lane facility — at a cost of around Rs 450 crore.

The state will not spend any funds initially on the Ring Road and Ranchi-Patratu-Ramgarh projects as it will be executed under BOT (annuity) basis with IL&FS investing the funds and maintaining the stretches for 15 years from the date of completion.

“Both these projects are expected to be completed within two and-a-half years of commissioning. We are hopeful of starting construction by early 2010,” said deputy secretary in state road construction department Pravin Kumar.

The state road department is overwhelmed at the ADB supported project receiving as many as 50 bids which are being scrutinised now. Among the bids received are several prominent names like Gammon India, IVRCL and Progressive Construction.

The ADB project is to be executed in four phases between Govindpur (near Dhanbad in NH-2) and Jamtara, Jamtara and Dumka, Dumka and Barhait and Barhait and Sahebganj in Santhal Pargana.

Sources said this was the first time when the a state agency (road construction department) was a facilitator rather than an executor of projects. “It will be the onus of construction companies and IL&FS to maintain the roads for 15 years from the date of completion of projects,” they said. Engineer-in-chief of state road construction department Vijay Kumar said they were waiting for the ADB project to get finalised so that work could started in early 2010.