Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Odisha Plans Zero-Fatality Corridors, Forgiving Roads to Cut Deaths
The state of Odisha in India wants to make its roads safer.
Many people have been hurt or killed in car accidents there.
Between 2023 and 2025, more than 18,000 people lost their lives on Odisha's roads.
So the government made a plan to stop these deaths.
It wants to build 'zero-fatality corridors', which are roads designed so that no one dies in a crash.
It will also use 'forgiving roads', meaning roads that are built to be kind to drivers even when they make mistakes.
For example, roads will have strong barriers and fewer dangerous things near the edge.
The government will also put ambulances and patrols on the busiest roads to help people quickly after a crash.
The plan will start with a few test roads before being used across the whole state.
The Odisha government will develop 'zero-fatality corridors' and adopt the 'forgiving roads' concept across the state.
Official data shows 18,364 people were killed in road accidents in Odisha between 2023 and 2025.
The programme will begin with pilot projects on accident-prone stretches before expanding state-wide.
Redesigned corridors will feature obstacle-free clear zones, crash barriers, breakaway utility poles and safer road curves.
The plan includes accident-blackspot mapping, highway patrolling, strategic ambulance deployment and regional workshops in four cities.
- Who
- The Odisha state government, including Public Works Department authorities, is leading the road safety initiative.
- What
- Developing 'zero-fatality corridors' and adopting the 'forgiving roads' engineering concept to curb road accident deaths.
- When
- Announced after official data showing 18,364 road deaths from 2023 to 2025; corrective measures are planned under the 2026-27 Annual Road Safety Programme.
- Where
- Odisha, focusing on Public Works Department roads and National Highways, with pilot projects and regional workshops in Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Cuttack.
- Why
- To reduce the alarming number of road accident fatalities recorded in Odisha between 2023 and 2025.
- Government
- Odisha state government
- Road deaths (2023-2025)
- 18,364
- Initiative
- Zero-fatality corridors and 'forgiving roads'
- Target Roads
- Public Works Department roads and National Highways
- Implementation
- Pilot projects first, then expansion across the state
- Programme Year
- 2026-27 Annual Road Safety Programme
- Engineering Features
- Clear zones, crash barriers, breakaway utility poles, safer road curves
- Workshop Cities
- Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Cuttack