The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Betul-Khandwa four-lane highway project in Madhya Pradesh at a total cost of Rs 4,415.60 crore. The upgrade is expected to reduce road travel time between Indore and Nagpur from the current 13 to 14 hours to around six hours.
The approval covers a total length of 233.653 kilometres on National Highway 347B. It includes upgrading 125.01 kilometres of the Hiwarkhedi-Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy section from intermediate lane to two-lane with paved shoulders, and widening 108.643 kilometres of the Deshgaon-Julwaniya section from two-lane to four-lane.
The project will be implemented on Hybrid Annuity Mode. The total civil cost is Rs 2,705.08 crore and land acquisition cost is Rs 432.77 crore.
The upgraded corridor aims to address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves and congestion in built-up areas across Betul, Khandwa, Khargone and Barwani districts. An extended Greenfield bypass of 16.20 kilometres will be developed in Khargone district as part of the project.
Currently, the Indore-Nagpur journey takes around 13 to 14 hours because large portions of the route remain two-lane roads. The new four-lane corridor will connect directly with major national highways including NH-47, NH-753 and NH-52. Traffic travelling between Indore and Nagpur via Harda and Betul will benefit from the upgrade.
The corridor is part of the broader Betul-Khandwa-Vadodara project, which aims to strengthen road links between Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The project will connect six PM Gati-Shakti economic nodes, including one textile cluster, two mega food parks, one industrial park and two super thermal power plants. It will also link five social nodes covering two aspirational districts and three tribal districts, and five logistics nodes including two major railway stations, two airports and the Multi-Modal Logistics Park in Indore.
The highway will improve connectivity to major cities across three states. In Maharashtra, the corridor will connect Nagpur, Jalgaon, Bhusawal, Akola, Washim, Hingoli and Nanded. In Gujarat, it will provide direct road links to Ahmedabad and Vadodara. In Madhya Pradesh, the route will connect Indore, Betul, Khandwa, Burhanpur and Barwani.
The project is expected to generate 19.50 lakh person-days of direct employment and 23.00 lakh person-days of indirect employment. It will also improve access to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain and the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, providing a faster route for pilgrims travelling from Maharashtra and Gujarat. The corridor is expected to play a key role in traffic management during the Simhastha Kumbh 2028 in Ujjain.
