Bidders for Aizawl Bypass’ Tunnel Project in Mizoram

Seventeen firms have bid for the construction of 2.5 km twin tunnels of the Aizawl Bypass project in Mizoram after India’s National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) opened technical bids on Friday. This 2 lane twin tunnel project with a 2.1 km long approach road will built as part of Package-2 of the upcoming 34.5 km Aizawl Bypass project on national highway NH-6. This bypass will connect Sairang & Phaibawk villages and consist of 10 major bridges and 1 minor bridge.

The tunnel section’s construction was approved by the Central Government on January 4, 2024 with a total estimated cost of Rs. 1313.28 crore. Tunneling work will be done through the drilling & blasting method. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will not be deployed. NHIDC had invited bids for Package 2’s construction in October 2023 with a Rs. 893.79 crore construction estimate and 36 month (3 year) deadline. The bids have now been sent for technical evaluation which can take a couple months to complete. When that is done, the financial bids of the technically qualified bidders will be opened to reveal who’s the lowest bidder and most likely contractor.

Per the central government’s press release, the primary objectives of this bypass “encompass mitigating congestion within Aizawl city on NH-6, circumventing heavily built-up areas, reducing traffic congestion, and enhancing road safety within scity limits. The initiative aims to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow, free from city-related impediments, ultimately cutting the distance between Sairang to Phaibawk by 22 kilometers and diminishing travel time by 1.5 hours.“