Shillong: Kynjaimon Amse travelled the 102km Jowai-Ratacherra highway quite regularly, often bemoaning the four-hour journey along the cratered, landslide-prone stretch.
To his delight, the highway was given a much-needed makeover and dedicated to the nation by Union minister Nitin Gadkari here on Monday.
From reducing the travel time to two-and-a-half hours with a promise that landslide prone areas have been taken care of, the highway, originating from an area about 5km from Jowai town in Meghalaya’s West Jaiñtia Hills, terminates at Malidor in East Jaiñtia Hills along the inter-state border with Assam on National Highway 6. Jowai is about 65km from here.
The Jowai-Ratacherra road was upgraded into a two-lane highway at a cost of Rs 683 crore by the National Highways Authority of India. The construction commenced on November 11, 2015 and the actual date of completion was March 31, 2018. This mega road project was also one of the few infrastructure projects in the Northeast which was completed ahead of schedule as the target date of completion was May 16, 2018. However, it has already sprung potholes, Amse said.
The road also has three major and 34 minor bridges, 441 culverts, one tunnel, two toll plazas, and 17 bus bays.
With the completion of the road project, trucks and heavy vehicles coming from Assam’s Brahmaputra valley can move smoothly in record time to Silchar in Barak Valley, thus providing connectivity to states like Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and south Assam. Travellers are overjoyed because landslides and road blocks, the hallmarks of this particular stretch of road, have now been taken care of.
The highway can also boost trade as the road passes through at least 10 cement plants and the rich coal and limestone deposits in East Jaiñtia Hills.
Over the past few years, Meghalaya has seen the completion of various mega road projects, some of which include the Shillong bypass, Jorabat-Umïam road, and the Shillong-Nongstoiñ-Rongjeng road, which connects to Tura in West Garo Hills. These have taken road connectivity in the landlocked state to a new high.
