NEW DELHI: Government today approved 16 highway projects in 11 states to be executed at a cost of Rs 7,457 crore."The standing finance committee (SFC) today cleared 16 projects worth Rs 7,456.88 crore for 622 km," Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra told reporters.Of these, two projects will be built on hybrid annuity mode, 13 on engineering, procurement and construction mode and remaining one on build, operate and transfer (BOT) mode.The projects are in Maharashtra Assam and Sikkim Mitra said two of the projects pertained to Char Dham Yatra connectivity in Uttarakhand on EPC mode.These include Rs 248 crore and Rs 200 crore projects for geometric improvement and widening of stretches on NH 58.The two projects to be built on hybrid annuity mode (HBA) include Rs 905 crore and Rs 1,338 crore projects in Maharashtra for upgradation of NH 66 stretches under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) phase IV.The BOT project pertained to four laning of Haryana/Punjab border Jind section of NH 71 design, build, finance, operate and transfer mode.The projects sanctioned today include five projects under SARDP-NE for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim.Mitra said projects would be bid out shortly while work on them would start after acquisition of 90 per cent land.