In Bihar, worth Rs 30,000 crore highway projects are underway! While addressing a virtual event after inaugurating Koilwar bridge over river Sone, which has been built at a cost of Rs 266 crore, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the three-lane structure of 1.5 km length is part of a six-lane bridge that is being constructed in place of the existing two-lane bridge which is 138 years old. This will be used for both road and rail traffic. The newly inaugurated bridge is a major road for transport between the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. According to Road Transport and Highways Ministry, at present, road works worth Rs 30,000 crore are ongoing in Bihar. For compensation against land acquisitions, a sum of Rs 4,600 crore has been released, the ministry said.
Under the Prime Minister’s package, which involves as many as 24 projects of 1459 Kilometres, the work is on over 875 Kilometres. Tender for 125 Kilometres has been issued under this and tender will be released for another 459 Kilometres by next March. Gadkari said, in the last six years, works worth Rs 2097 crore has been approved under CRF in the state of Bihar, against which an amount of Rs 1281 crore has been released till now.
According to the minister, the 7 km long four-lane Koshi bridge worth an amount of Rs 1,478 crore is expected to be completed by the year 2023. Tender for the 4 km long Vikramshila bridge worth Rs 1,110 crore has been issued and the construction of the bridge is likely to be completed in the year 2024. The Buxar bridge work will be over by the next year. The ministry said with 242 metre span, this will be a unique bridge facilitating large ships’ movement under it. Gadkari further said that the Ramjanaki Marg which is being developed between Ayodhya and Janakpuri in Nepal, includes 240 kilometres stretch in the state of Bihar, worth Rs 2700 crore. Work on 177 kilometres will be completed by the month of June next year. The balance stretch of 63 Kilometres will start in March 2021.
The tender has been issued for 6 km long Sahibganj bridge worth Rs 1900 crore, connecting Bihar and Jharkhand, and its construction is likely to complete by September 2024. By next year, work will be completed on the remaining two-lane bridge over the Ganga river in Patna. On reconstruction of this 5.5 km long bridge, a sum of Rs 1,742 crore is being spent. The construction of a new four-lane, 5 km long bridge over the Ganga river near the existing bridge in Patna has also been announced by the minister for which an agreement was signed in the month of October.
Gadkari announced that for providing connectivity to the Poorvanchal Expressway, his ministry has approved a four-lane elevated road from Bharauli (Buxar) to Haidaria. By June next year, the DPR for this 17 km-long link road will be ready. The widening of the 70-km Mokama-Munger road has also been approved by the ministry, for which DPR will be completed by the month of April next year. Also, widening work of Muzzaffpur-Barauni road will start soon. The ministry has also approved the proposal of four-laning of Khagaria-Purnea road (NH-31) and its DPR will be ready by this April.
The ministry further said the four-laning of Muzaffarpur- Sitamarhi-Sonewarsha road (NH-77) will simplify the travel to Jakanpur Dham (Nepal) and by May next year, its DPR will be ready. Gadkari said for the Sasaram-Aarah-Patna Greenfield project, a new alignment has been prepared. Moreover, 90 per cent work on the Aarah Ringroad will be covered by the existing three projects, he added.
