Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in charge of PWD Prestone Tynsong has indicated that work on the Northeast’s first access-controlled four-lane greenfield high-speed highway is progressing, with tenders for Package I and II already invited, land acquisition in Ri Bhoi largely complete, and alignments across Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills finalised, while noting that some portions in East Jaintia Hills remain under discussion.
Talking to media persons, Tynsong said, “The proposed high speed corridor project. For Package I and II, tenders have already invited and Ri Bhoi district, the land is more or less finalized, the alignment has been finalized even for Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills but we do have some portion in East Jaintia Hills which the discussion is on. When we mentioned about the express way you will understand that instead of travelling 3 hours, one and half hours it is completely shortened, so that itself you understand how many hours we save. This is also the economic corridor, which I also personally feel that if we complete the project, the flow because Meghalaya is the main transit state, so ultimately the traffic flow will increase and the economic activities will also increase vehemently.”
Highlighting the transformative potential of the project, he underscored that the corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time while strengthening Meghalaya’s role as a transit hub, thereby boosting economic activity in the region.
Responding to concerns over why the project is not being developed as a six-lane expressway, Tynsong pointed to the geographical constraints posed by the State’s terrain.
“You need to understand one thing, as far as Meghalaya is concerned specially minus Assam in the NE region, it is a hilly area, it is not possible – now let me give you an example of Shillong-Dawki, even two lane road is so difficult. You must have seen there are portions, if you talk about four-lane it is so tight and it is so difficult. Therefore, the main reason why the government of India does not want to go for six-laning it is because of this constraint that we have in the state of Meghalaya.”
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ₹22,864 crore Shillong–Silchar Corridor on March 14, 2026, marking the groundbreaking for the Northeast’s first access-controlled four-lane greenfield high-speed highway. The 166-km project, connecting Mawlyngkhung to Panchgram, is expected to reduce travel time between Guwahati and Silchar from about 8.5 hours to nearly five hours, significantly enhancing regional connectivity.
Northeast’s first access-controlled four-lane greenfield corridor gathers pace, Package I & II advance as East Jaintia Hills talks continue
