4-lane corridor connecting Ranchi & Bokaro nearly 90% complete: NHAI

Ramgarh: The nearly 60-km Ormanjhi-Gola-Jaina More highway is nearing completion, with around 90% of the work done, NHAI officials said on Friday. Once opened, the four-lane corridor is expected to cut the Ranchi-Bokaro journey from about 2.5 hours to nearly one hour 15 minutes and ease traffic on the existing Chas-Ramgarh route.The project, sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 2,224 crore, is part of Bharatmala Pariyojana and is intended to improve connectivity between Ranchi and the Bokaro-Dhanbad industrial belt. It is also linked to the proposed Raipur-Dhanbad Economic Corridor.The project comprises two NHAI packages: the 27.85-km Ormanjhi-Gola section of NH-320B and the 32.49-km Gola-Jaina More section of NH-320. The alignment runs from the Ormanjhi side in Ranchi district through Gola and Dulmi in Ramgarh to Jaina More in Bokaro district. Govt project documents put the design length at about 60.34 km, while the originally sanctioned stretch was cited as 59.94 km.The existing road through the Sikidiri valley was known for frequent accidents and passes through an elephant corridor. NHAI officials said five wildlife passages had been incorporated into the project, including three underpasses and a flyover.Ramgarh divisional forest officer Nitish Kumar earlier said the size of the crossings, particularly those meant for elephants, was a key safety and conservation concern. Forest clearance documents show that the project involves forest land in the Ranchi-Ramgarh stretch.NHAI regional office official Vijay Kumar said special attention had been paid to wildlife movement while constructing the road through the Kulhi and Gola areas.The project also faced opposition near Kulhi Chowk in Dulmi. Villagers demanded an entry point and an underpass, while Giridih MP Chandra Prakash Choudhary inspected the site and raised concerns about local access and safety.Stay updated with the latest Ranchi news. Download the TOI App.