Kharagpur–Morgram Expressway

The Kharagpur–Morgram Expressway (officially NH 116A) is an under construction greenfield expressway forming the southern segment of the larger 516 km Kharagpur–Siliguri Economic Corridor in West Bengal.^[1] Spanning approximately 231 km, this four-lane, access-controlled greenfield expressway aims to significantly reduce travel time and logistics costs between Kharagpur and Morgram, improving connectivity for freight and passenger traffic in the region. The project is being implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase II (Hybrid Annuity Mode) with an estimated cost of around ₹10,247 crore .

Kharagpur Morgram Expressway
Route information
Maintained by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Length	231 km (144 mi)
Status	proposed
Existed	2028–present
Major junctions
From	Kharagpur
To	Morgram
Location
Country	India
States	West Bengal
Major cities	Chandrakona, Burdwan, Guskara, Morgram
Highway system
Roads in India Expressways National State Asian

Alignment

The expressway begins near Kharagpur on National Highway 16 and extends to Moregram at the junction of NH‑34 and NH‑60, passing through key areas such as Chandrakona, Jayrambati, Burdwan, Guskara, and Morgram. Compared to the existing route, this expressway reduces the distance by about 100 km and raises traffic capacity by five times, slashing freight travel time from roughly 9–10 hours to 3–5 hours. This broad corridor enhances connectivity from southern and eastern India to the North-Eastern states via West Bengal.

Construction

The project is divided into five construction packages:

Package 1 (Km 0–41): Kharagpur to Chandrakona Ghatal Road Crossing, awarded to Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. with a bid of approximately ₹1400 crore.

Package 2 (Km 41–89.8): Chandrakona Ghatal Road Crossing to Bowaichandi, but this package was cancelled.

Package 3 (Km 89.8–133): Bowaichandi to Guskara-Katwa Road, also awarded to Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. at ₹1391 crore.

Package 4 (Km 133–180): Guskara-Katwa Road to Mayurakshi Bridge Approach, awarded to R&C Infraengineers Pvt. Ltd. with a bid around ₹1004.65 crore.

Package 5 (Km 180–230.95): From Mayurakshi Bridge area to Moregram, also awarded to R&C Infraengineers Pvt. Ltd. at ₹1186 crore.

Current status

As of December 2025, pre-construction work like resource mobilisation, soil testing, etc has commenced on few packages.

Bidding concluded in late 2024, and the timeline from contract award typically spans about 2.5 years, putting the expected project completion around 2028. NHAI is actively engaged in land acquisition and issuing notifications, particularly in Hooghly and adjacent districts, but precise data on percentage acquired is unavailable, indicating early or partial progress.