GUWAHATI: Union Minister of Roads, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari today reviewed the progress of works related to several national highways and construction of the Brahmaputra Express Highway.The Union Minister, during a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and several other state ministers and officials, said 1,253 km of state roads would be converted into national highways.Already the Centre has approved conversion of 2,000 km of state roads into national highways and Detail Project Reports of 23 projects have been completed, Gadkari said.The existing Guwahati bypass from Khanapara to Jalukbari would be converted into a six lane highway and five logistic parks alongside national highways where land is available, would be constructed to shift godowns to ease congestion in important city and town areas, an official release said.The Union Minister advised the state government to overhaul the functioning of the Public Works Department to bring in more transparency, it said.Responding to a request by Chief Minister Sonowal to provide necessary support for building quality houses and developing the skill of contractors, Gadkari advised the state government to liaise with the civil engineering department of IIT-Guwahati for utilising their expertise in this regard, the release said.The Minister reviewed the progress of works related to several road and bridge projects including Tezpur bypass, Numaligarh to Dibrugarh NH, East-West corridor projects at Dima Hasao, Bogibeel bridge and Narengi-Kuruwa bridge survey work.The Union Minister expressed satisfaction over the progress of works carried out by the state government for construction of the Brahmaputra Express Highway on