Madhya Pradesh approves feasibility work for five greenfield road corridors

The Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation board reviewed plans for five proposed greenfield corridors with a combined length of 1,398 km and estimated cost of Rs 63,296 crore. The corridors are planned as four-lane, access-controlled roads.

The proposed routes are Bhopal-Mandsaur (258 km), Sagar-Satna (227 km), Jabalpur-Ashapur (358 km), Bhopal-Gwalior (320 km) and Katni-Singrauli (235 km). The board authorized preparation of feasibility reports and detailed project reports for routes found feasible. Consultants are preparing feasibility reports for three corridors. Tendering is under way to select consultants for the other two. The projects have not been approved for construction.

Notable Points

• Historical examples of access control: The Long Island Motor Parkway opened in 1908 as a limited-access road, but drivers could cross oncoming traffic when turning left to connectors, so it was not a controlled-access highway. Italy’s Autostrada dei Laghi opened in 1924 with one lane in each direction and no interchanges.