How the Rs 7,000 crore Bhubaneswar ring road will decongest Odisha’s capital city region

With the rapid urbanisation of Bhubaneswar and its twin city of Cuttack, the need for a modern transport infrastructure has become of utmost urgency. Traffic snarls have long been a defining feature of these two urban hubs, with major arterial roads frequently witnessing bottlenecks, particularly during peak hours.

Bhubaneswar's bustling NH-16 corridor and Cuttack's narrow arterial roads often struggle to accommodate the ever-increasing vehicular load, causing prolonged congestion and heightened air pollution.

Addressing this growing challenge, the Centre has recently floated discussions in the Cabinet about the Capital Region Ring Road (CRRR), envisioned to fundamentally alter the transportation landscape of Odisha’s key urban centres, as stated by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during his last visit to Odisha.

A Strategic Solution: The Capital Region Ring Road (CRRR)

The CRRR project, pegged at an estimated cost of Rs 7000 crore, proposes the construction of a 111-kilometre, six-lane expressway around Bhubaneswar.

Designed and to be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme, the ring road aims to seamlessly link the cities of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khordah, and Choudwar while effectively decongesting internal city roads.

The proposed alignment of the CRRR will commence at Tangi in Cuttack, traverse through Barapada, Rajabati, Govindpur, Shankarpur, Banki, Bandhahat, and Haldia, before concluding at Rameswar in Khurda.

This strategically charted route bypasses the highly congested city centres, offering an alternative path for transit traffic and heavy-duty vehicles, which currently exacerbate congestion within Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

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Infrastructure Details: A Comprehensive Plan

The initial scale and sophistication of the CRRR are noteworthy. The road will feature:

• Nine flyovers strategically located to facilitate uninterrupted traffic movement over key junctions.
• Twenty-nine vehicle underpasses to allow local traffic to move without interfering with high-speed highway traffic.
• Three foot overbridges ensuring pedestrian safety in semi-urban zones.
• A major bridge over the Mahanadi River connecting critical transit points and further strengthening intercity linkages.

The road will have service lanes on both sides, promoting safer entry and exit points for local traffic and reducing sudden slowdowns on the main highway.

Major Benefits: Decongestion, Connectivity, and Economic Boost

Decongesting the Urban Heartlands

The CRRR is poised to drastically reduce the load on Bhubaneswar’s central arterial roads, especially along NH-16, which currently bears the brunt of interstate goods movement and intra-city commuting.

Heavy vehicles, including trucks and long-distance buses, will be diverted to the outer ring, freeing up vital urban roads for local traffic. This shift is expected to cut travel time through Bhubaneswar and Cuttack by up to 40% during peak hours, according to initial project estimates.

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Enhancing Regional and Inter-State Connectivity

By linking major hubs without routing through inner city roads, the CRRR will create a high-speed transit corridor connecting Bhubaneswar to Cuttack, Khordha, and other peripheral towns.

As a result, logistics operations, interstate goods movement, and emergency services will especially benefit from the reduced traffic burden and faster transit times.

Boosting Socio-Economic Development

The ring road will not merely serve as a decongestion tool but is expected to catalyse new economic zones, industrial parks, and residential townships along its corridor. Enhanced connectivity will make peripheral areas more attractive for investment, spurring balanced regional development.

Studies indicate that similar infrastructure projects elsewhere in India have led to real estate appreciation between 10% and 25% in adjoining areas, and Bhubaneswar is likely to witness similar trends post-implementation.

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Once completed, the Capital Region Ring Road will mark a transformative moment in Odisha’s infrastructure journey, marking a landmark project for the state’s capital region.