NHAI prepares revised ₹73,000-crore estimate for proposed Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has prepared a revised report estimating the proposed Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway at about ₹73,000 crore. NHAI plans to submit it to the Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC); the committee has not approved the proposal. Cabinet consideration is expected only after PPPAC approval.

Route, cost and project status

The proposed expressway will span about 568 km, including roughly 417 km in Bihar. Its Bihar route will cross West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj. About ₹45,000 crore is allocated for construction, with the remainder intended for land acquisition and other items. The project is planned under a public-private partnership model.

The Centre has agreed to include the project in its 2026–27 annual plan. Land acquisition has begun in Bihar, but the construction start date is unclear. Bihar has sought a six-lane expressway instead of the proposed four lanes; that request has not been agreed to.

Important Facts for Exams

• NHAI statutory remit: The NHAI Act assigns the authority responsibility for developing, maintaining and managing national highways and other highways entrusted to it by the government.
• PPP financing: In a typical PPP, private capital finances a project upfront, with revenues later drawn from taxpayers, users or both over the contract period.
• PPP project vehicle: In many PPPs, a private-sector consortium forms a special-purpose vehicle to develop, build, maintain and operate the asset during the contracted period.