Sambalpur: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Sambalpur-Rourkela four-lane Biju Expressway at Jharsuguda on Monday.

Known as the lifeline corridor of west Odisha, the 163km road has been completed in the public-private partnership mode by the L&T at a cost of Rs 1,292.56 crore.

Naveen said it was the state government's landmark project, which would help in developing the western part of the state. The first phase of the project covered Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur.

This project is the part of Biju Expressway taken up from Rourkela to Koraput at an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore covering a distance of 650km. The expressway will pass through Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput.

Addressing a huge gathering, Naveen said the four-lane project, completely financed by the state government, would pave way for development of entire west and south Odisha.

The 163km road started from Vedvyas Chowk, Rourklela to Ainthapali Chowk in Sambalpur in which six major bridges, 39 minor bridges, three flyovers bridges, one rail overbridges, three sub-ways, four vehicle underpass and two bypass at Rengali and Jharsuguda were constructed.

The sophisticated highway traffic management system has been executed with three toll plazas with modern tooling machines, including the automatic vehicular control system. The road will reduce the travel time, help in regional economic development, will reduce the vehicle maintenance cost and minimise the risk of road accidents.

Praising Naveen, Congress MLA of Jharsuguda, Naba Das said that during his period many developmental projects had been taken up in his constituency. BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty said the inauguration of the road project was a drama. "The 163km Sambalpur-Rourkela Biju Expressway was earlier a state highway. They just renamed it," Mohanty said.