Orchha–Jhansi Southern Bypass Sanctioned at Rs 631.73 Crore

A four-lane southern bypass linking Orchha in Madhya Pradesh with Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 631.73 crore, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced in a post on X on April 5. This is an older announcement, but it remains the key project affecting road access to Orchha.

The bypass is 15.5 kilometres long and runs from Orchha in Niwari district to Jhansi district. The package also includes a link road connecting NH-44 and NH-39, from Bangay Khas to Orchha Tigela. The coverage uses the words southern and western for the bypass in different places, so readers should wait for the official alignment map before relying on the exact direction.

Jhansi sits at the junction of five national highways, NH-27, NH-44, NH-39, NH-539 and NH-552, which brings heavy traffic through the congested core of the city. The bypass is meant to take through traffic away from the city centre and shorten travel times for vehicles moving between the highways.

The project is also expected to help tourism. Orchha is known for the Jahangir Mahal, the Ramraja Temple and the Betwa wildlife sanctuary, and the town is seen as a possible candidate for UNESCO World Heritage recognition. Better highway links are expected to make the trip easier for visitors from Jhansi, which has the nearest major railway junction, and to support local businesses.

The report does not give a construction start date, a completion date or any other schedule. The only milestone mentioned is the sanction itself. Land acquisition, tendering and the award of work usually follow a sanction, and each of these steps can take months, so readers should not assume a date for the opening of the road.

Local residents and traders will be watching for the survey and acquisition notices, which will show which villages and plots fall on the route. This article will be updated when the road authority publishes the tender or the construction schedule.