Bhopal-Raipur travel time to fall to 6-7 hours as MP clears ₹15,000 crore road projects

Travelling between Bhopal and Raipur could soon take less than half the current time, with the Madhya Pradesh government approving two major road projects aimed at creating a faster inter-state corridor between the two cities, according to a report by NDTV.

The two projects, with a combined budget of ₹15,000 crore, include the Jabalpur-Bhopal greenfield expressway and the Jabalpur-Mandla-Chhattisgarh border six-lane road. Together, they are expected to cut the Bhopal-Raipur journey from around 14-15 hours to 6-7 hours.

The greenfield expressway will connect Bhopal with Sagar, Damoh, Jabalpur and Mandla before reaching the Chhattisgarh border. The road is planned for speeds of up to 120 kmph.

The Bhopal-Jabalpur stretch is expected to reduce the distance between the two cities from the current 320 km to 255 km. Travel time is projected to fall from 6-7 hours to around 2.5-3 hours.

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Further east, the Jabalpur-Mandla-Chhattisgarh border road will be upgraded to a six-lane corridor at a cost of ₹2,500 crore. The route, which passes towards Raipur through the Chhattisgarh border and Chilpi Ghat, is an important trade link between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The Jabalpur-Raipur journey, currently taking around 7-8 hours, is expected to come down to 3.5-4 hours after the six-lane corridor is completed.

The projects will improve road connectivity for several cities and districts in Madhya Pradesh, including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Narmadapuram, Damoh, Sagar, Dindori and Mandla. In Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Kawardha, Bemetara and Simga are expected to benefit from the route.

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The upgraded connectivity is also expected to give a boost to tourism between the two states. The state government has announced a separate ₹5,500-crore tiger corridor connecting Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna Tiger Reserve, which is expected to make these destinations more accessible from Bhopal, Jabalpur and Raipur.

The projects are expected to strengthen movement of goods and people between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while improving access to trade, medical facilities and tourist destinations across the two states.