Bihar road connectivity to get new expansion

Patna, November 2: (ABN) Chief Minister Smriti Choudhary met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday during his visit to Delhi with the aim of modernising the state's road infrastructure, expanding the national highway network, and expediting the implementation of pending major projects. Detailed discussions were held on several key projects related to the construction of national highways, expressways, and bridges, and improving traffic flow in Bihar, during this high-level meeting held at the Union Minister's residence. The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for their continuous support for the development of roads and infrastructure in the state. During the meeting, the Chief Minister requested the early final approval of key projects that would expand Bihar's road connectivity system. He stated that four major road projects, costing approximately 49,751 crore rupees and spanning about 330 kilometres, have already received approval from the Central Government's Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), but their final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is pending. Highlighting the importance of these projects, the Chief Minister said that their implementation would not only reduce traffic congestion but also significantly lower the cost of cargo and transportation. These four major projects include the construction of a two-lane bridge over the Gandak River on NH-727AA and a bridge and connecting road linking Bihar's Munwa Bridge (Bettiah) to Tiwari Patti (Siwan) in Uttar Pradesh, at a cost of 1,976.77 crore rupees. In addition, a six-lane elevated road and service road in the Saraisarai-Digha and Anisabad-Digha sections will be constructed on a Hybrid Annuity Mode at a cost of 8,455.86 crore rupees. The construction of the Patna-Purnea four-lane Greenfield Expressway at a cost of 31,987.11 crore rupees and the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata six-lane Greenfield Highway section from Konki village to Lirua village at a cost of 7,331.40 crore rupees is also included in these projects.

The Chief Minister also demanded the early notification of the Bihar section of the Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway as a National Expressway. He informed the Union Minister that the state government is providing full cooperation to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in the initial preparations for this project, and the process of issuing the Section 3A notification regarding land acquisition in the concerned districts is in its final stage. He said that the construction of this expressway would improve the traffic system in North Bihar and strengthen regional connectivity with the construction of new bridges over various rivers. Similarly, the Chief Minister informed that land acquisition proceedings would begin after the approval of the revised route of the Raxaul-Haldia Expressway, and requested its early notification and final approval. He said that this expressway would play a vital role in promoting trade activities with Nepal, in addition to directly connecting Bihar to the Haldia port.

Its strategic importance is also extraordinary. In the meeting, a detailed discussion was also held on the plan to convert Muzzafarpur-Broni (NH-122) into a four-lane road. The Chief Minister stated that the National Highway Authority (NHAI) has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) on this matter. He requested the central minister to accelerate the implementation of the project so that road connectivity between North and Central Bihar could be further improved. The Chief Minister also mentioned that the responsibility for maintenance and development of approximately 2,329 km of national highways in Bihar has been assigned to the state's Department of Road Construction. The department has prepared a detailed project report for six long national highway projects totaling 323 km and sent it to the central government, with an estimated total expenditure of 13,015 crore rupees. These projects include the plan to convert the connection road of Vikram Shila Bridge and the Morsikh-Chakia-Bhatta turn road into a four-lane road. The Chief Minister appealed to grant technical and financial approval to these projects soon. During the meeting, there was also a positive exchange of ideas on expanding the road network in Bihar, constructing bridges and expressways, improving inter-state connectivity, and strengthening infrastructure for flood protection. The Chief Minister expressed hope that timely approval and cooperation for these projects will bring significant improvement in Bihar's mobility facilities and give new momentum to economic and industrial activities.