Gadkari Inaugurates and Launches Rs 4,400-Crore, 181-Km Highway Package in Vidisha

Overview

• On January 17, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated completed stretches and laid foundation stones for eight national highway projects in Vidisha, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav attending.
• The package spans roughly 181 km and is valued at over Rs 4,400 crore, enhancing the Bhopal–Vidisha–Sagar–Rahatgarh–Biaora corridor and strengthening links into the Bundelkhand region.
• Major works include four-laning of the 42 km Bhopal–Vidisha section (Rs 1,041 crore), upgrades from Vidisha–Gyaraspur, Gyaraspur–Rahatgarh and Rahatgarh–Berkhedi, a greenfield Sagar Western Bypass, and five underpasses on the Bhopal–Biaora route.
• The 12.38 km Abdullaganj–Itarsi stretch through Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary (Rs 418 crore) features dedicated animal underpasses and sound-insulated corridors to protect biodiversity while reducing travel time by 15–30 minutes.
• Foundation stones were also laid for three modern driving training centres in Vidisha and Sagar districts, with the overall programme engineered to cut travel time, save fuel, lower emissions and improve safety through black-spot corrections and geometric redesigns.