New road to connect Shillong with Umroi airport

SHILLONG, Feb 18: Transit between Shillong and Umroi is set to get easier, thanks to a new road that will connect the Mawlai Bypass with Umroi without passing through the Umiam bridge.
The road project, conceived in 2020 by Mawlai MDC Teiborlang Pathaw, will pass through Umsaw Mawjynrong, Umjathang in Mawlai and Madan Nonglakhiat in Umroi constituency. The construction work in currently under way.
Pathaw explained that he thought of the road project after witnessing the congestion and tremendous pressure on the Umiam bridge over the years.
He said the alternative road via Umsaw Mawjynrong was proposed since the existing road from Mawlai Mawtawar to Umroi had  excessively steep slopes in some stretches, especially between Nongkohlew and Mawtawar.
In November 2020, PWD (Roads) engineers visited the site at Umsaw Mawjynrong for the proposed road project accompanied by the headman and executive members of the Dorbar Shnong to identify the new route after which the state government moved the North Eastern Council (NEC) for sanction. The NEC sanctioned the road project under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.
NEC officials said the total length of the new road from Mawlai Bypass to Umroi is around 14.279 km and it is being constructed at a cost of Rs 34 crore.
Once the new road is completed, air passengers would not only be able to reach Umroi faster from Shillong but the under pressure over the Umiam bridge and the dam would also be reduced to a large extent, officials said.