India, Oct. 6 -- Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to expedite three major highway infrastructure projects in Sambalpur and adjoining areas, including the six-laning of Sambalpur-Cuttack National Highway.

In a letter to Gadkari, Pradhan sought the upgradation of the Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack stretch of the National Highway from four lanes to six lanes, along with two-lane service roads on both sides.

He said the corridor has witnessed a sharp rise in passenger, freight, mining and industrial traffic and has become strategically important for connecting western Odisha with major industrial, commercial and urban centres. The proposed expansion, he said, would improve traffic ...