Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced that the four-lane expansion of National Highway 55 (NH-55) between Cuttack and Angul is expected to be completed by April 2025. Responding to a query in the Lok Sabha from Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pani, Gadkari also confirmed that the 150-kilometre Angul-Sambalpur stretch is now fully operational.

Project Scope and Challenges The NH-55 expansion is divided into three segments:

Cuttack to Dhenkanal (Package 1) Dhenkanal to Angul (Package 2) Angul to Sambalpur (Package 3) – already completed

The minister acknowledged that delays were caused by land acquisition hurdles, forest clearance issues, financial constraints faced by contractors, and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efforts to Expedite Completion To accelerate progress, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is conducting regular stakeholder meetings and coordinating closely with the state government to ensure smooth execution.

Revised deadlines have been set, with Package 1 expected to conclude by March 2025 and Package 2 by April 2025, ensuring the completion of this critical infrastructure project.