Bhubaneswar, July 1: The state government has decided to complete the construction of the 656km Jagdalpur-Rourkela Biju Expressway by June 2019 instead of the earlier target of getting the job done by May 2020.

The project has been planned as an economic corridor between Jagdalpur and Rourkela connecting west Odisha with the state's southern parts.

The Rs 3,500-crore road project will connect Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts of west Odisha with southern districts of the state such as Koraput, Nabrangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched the project on August 28, 2014.

Later, the estimate, which earlier had been pegged at Rs 3,200 crore, was revised to around Rs 3,500 crore.

The project is being executed under state road projects. A state-level empowered committee, headed by chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, reviewed the status of the road sector projects yesterday.

But, Padhi directed the works department to complete the expressway by June 2019 instead of May 2020.

At present, it takes 13 hours to travel from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh to Rourkela (656km). Once the corridor is completed, the travel time will be reduced to six hours.

Public works department secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan apprised the committee that the construction of the expressway was expedited as the state government had provided funds required for it.

The road from Rourkela to Nuapada stretching across about 355km will be made four-lane. The stretch from Nuapada to Chamdili connecting Jagdalpur of Chhattisgarh will be made two-lane.

The road from Rourkela to Sambalpur is nearing completion and expected to be thrown open for vehicles by December this year.

The committee was also informed that other major jobs under the state road projects had been expedited in the past one year.

Padhi also directed the public works department to ensure the quality of construction through close monitoring.

The public works department secretary said the 86km State Highway No. 16 from Bhwanipatna to Khariar had been completed with an investment of about Rs 115 crore and opened to traffic.

Moreover, four bridges over the Tel river with total expenditure of Rs 32 crore and a 41km road from Berhampur to Taptapani costing around Rs 95 crore have also been completed.