The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the construction of two underpasses at Pokhraha and Jore in Palamu district of Jharkhand along the Ranchi-Varanasi Greenfield Corridor.
The decision is aimed at addressing local connectivity and road-safety concerns arising from the development of the greenfield corridor. The proposed underpasses will provide safer crossing facilities for local residents and help maintain movement between settlements and areas located on either side of the new highway.
Residents of Pokhraha and Jore had sought dedicated crossing arrangements as the corridor is being developed as a high-speed road link. The approval of the underpasses is expected to reduce the need for local traffic and pedestrians to cross the main carriageway directly, thereby improving safety.
The Ranchi-Varanasi corridor is part of the larger Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata six-lane greenfield highway project being developed to strengthen connectivity between eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and onward towards West Bengal. The project is being implemented through multiple construction packages, with different stretches progressing at different stages.
The corridor is intended to improve connectivity between major economic centres while reducing travel time and providing a more efficient route for long-distance traffic. In Jharkhand, the alignment passes through several districts and connects the state with the Varanasi side of the network.
The addition of the two underpasses at Pokhraha and Jore will allow the greenfield highway to function as a controlled-access corridor while retaining local connectivity. Such grade-separated crossings are particularly important along high-speed corridors, where direct crossings of the main carriageway can create safety risks.
The approval also addresses concerns of communities located along the project alignment, where the construction of a new highway can otherwise disrupt existing local movement patterns. The underpasses are expected to provide a dedicated route for local movement without interfering with through traffic on the main corridor.
The Ranchi-Varanasi section forms an important part of the broader Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Greenfield Corridor. Once developed in full, the corridor is expected to strengthen road connectivity across eastern and central India and support movement of freight as well as passenger traffic.
The two approved underpasses at Pokhraha and Jore are therefore expected to complement the larger highway development by combining faster intercity connectivity with safer access for communities located along the corridor.