India 2023: A round up of top infra projects underway, those nearing completion and those lagging behind

Almost everyone in the construction industry knows that ambitious infrastructural projects starting is one thing and getting completed, quite another. Unarguably, infrastructure is also the barometer of a country's progress, the one that has a lasting impact on the economy, environment and daily lives of millions.

While many projects spanning irrigation, airports, shipping to roads could not reach the finish line by this year end, quite a few are eagerly awaited in the year 2023.

Chenab Bridge

With enough walls being erected among people, nations, communities back and forth across the world, any news of new bridges being made signals good omen. Construction of quite a few projects comprising bridges are already underway in the nation. Starting with the deck arch bridge, Chenab Bridge that got completed.

Said to be the world's highest rail bridge, the construction for the project was started in 2004 and it was finally inaugurated on 13th August of 2022. The arch bridge comprising 42 kms runs between Bakkal and Kauri, in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

As per officials, once the construction is further completed, the bridge will be 35 m higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower. Built at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore, reportedly 300 civil engineers and more than 1,300 workers worked 24/7 to complete it.

Mumbai Delhi Expressway

Connecting two of India's biggest, busiest and economically significant cities, Mumbai Delhi Expressway stretches about 1350 kilometres. The project comprising India's Capital and financial capital began in 2019 with an estimated cost of Rs 1,03,000 crores. The aim is to further strengthen the connectivity between two cities and increase local development around the Expressway.

The pandemic caused a hiatus and halted the project comprising two phases. The first phase of the project comprises eight lanes, while the second, twelve lanes. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Railway Transport and Highways, stated in the Rajya Sabha that 350 kms of the total project had nearly finished as of July 2021. However, reportedly, the project is not likely to be completed until mid-2025.

Central Vista

In 2019, the central government announced the redevelopment of already sprawling power corridors of India.Enough has been said, speculated and reported about Central Vista -- from the political ruckus surrounding it to the polarised debates over the need for it. But when it comes to top of the line and upcoming infrastructure in India, Central Vista remains the poster project with conservative estimates stating that it's likely to cost Rs 20,000 crores. By December last year, the government announced that it had already spent over Rs 1,200 crore with new Parliament building 35% complete.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor

A project by the railways, the Rs 28,181 crore Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor is scheduled for completion by March 2023. With a route length of 1,856 kms, it consists of two distinct segments. First being an electrified double-track segment comprising 1,409 km between Dankuni in West Bengal and Khuria in UP. It also consists of an electrified single-track segment stretching for 447 kms between Ludhiana-Khuria-Dadri in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Eastern Freight Corridor will traverse along 6 states.

Mumbai Nagpur Expressway

While the first phase of the expressway from Nagpur to Shirdi was inaugurated on December 11, the second phase from Shirdi to Mumbai will most likely be opened in June of 2023. Currently, the partially opened six-lane wide and 701 km long expressway passes through 10 districts in Maharashtra and is amongst the country's longest greenfield road projects. The project is being handled by the state infrastructure arm Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The total project cost is around Rs 55,000 crore.

Kochi Water Metro

The much hyped and ambitious Kochi Water Metro has now become infamous for missing multiple deadlines. The project, originally scheduled for commission in December 2020, pushed to July 21, then to April 2022 and the postponement still continues. But the project once completed, will connect several water bodies in the state endowed with 44 rivers. The 819-crore Water Metro aims to be an integrated transport system connecting 10 islands of Kochi through 15 routes spanning 76 kms.

World's first motor road through the glaciers

The idea sounds ambitious and exciting. The project HIMANK by Border Roads Organization, intends to construct the world's first glacier road, at a height of 17,800 feet. The project which is located in Ladakh's eastern region will provide the crucial connectivity required in the region.

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Project

The project, started in April 2018, and currently under progress is one of the mega projects with an estimated cost of Rs 14,000 crore. The regions of Sewri and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai will benefit from this harbour link.

Projects lagging behind for decades

Last month, the Centre turned its spotlight on the projects lagging behind for decades. NITI (National Institute for Transforming India), formerly called the Planning Commission, shortlisted 494 such projects, including 279 roads and highways worth Rs 1.92 trillion. Some petroleum and railway projects also figured in the list. The apex agency also said that it wants infrastructure projects lagging for decades, completed by the end of fiscal year 2023.