The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for development of the four laning of the Solapur-Bijapur section of National Highway-13 in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

This work will be under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-III. The approval is in BOT (Toll) mode on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (BOT/DBFOT) basis.

The cost is estimated to be Rs 15.37 billion including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the road will be approximately 109.07 kms.

The main object of the project is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in Maharashtra and Karnataka and also in reducing the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying on the Solapur-Bijapur sector. NH-13 connects the districts of Solapur in Maharashtra and Bijapur in Karnataka. The development of this stretch will also help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of the concerned regions of the State and would also increase employment potential for local labourers for project activities. The project is covered in the region of Solapur and Bijapur.