Patna: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has expedited the preparation of a new Detailed Project Report (DPR) to upgrade the Aurangabad-Naubatpur section of National Highway-139 into a four-lane corridor. The project also includes four major bypasses aimed at improving traffic flow and providing direct access to the Varanasi-Kolkata Greenfield Expressway being developed under the Bharatmala Project.
The move follows directions from NHAI to the National Highways division to speed up planning for the upgraded corridor.
Four Bypasses Planned Along the Corridor
Under the revised proposal, the main highway from Naubatpur to Arwal will be widened to four lanes. Four additional four-lane bypasses are planned at Arwal, Daudnagar, Obra and Aurangabad to divert through traffic away from urban centres.
Approval has already been granted for an approximately 8.3-km four-lane bypass at Daudnagar, in addition to the Arwal bypass. DPR preparation is also underway for a nearly 7-km bypass at Obra and a 28-km Aurangabad bypass.
The Aurangabad bypass will begin before the Bharthauli Canal, pass west of Aurangabad town and Risiyap, and extend beyond Amba to connect with the Varanasi-Kolkata (via Ranchi) Greenfield Expressway under the Bharatmala Project.
Direct Link to Bharatmala Expressway
The planned connection will allow long-distance traffic to avoid Aurangabad, Risiyap and Amba, reducing congestion within these towns.
According to the proposal, the section between Dhanibar village and Pola village will also be widened to four lanes. A separate four-lane bypass from Pola to Hariharganj is already under construction.
Once completed, vehicles exiting the expressway near Dhanibar will be able to travel via the four-lane corridor to Pola before continuing towards Daltonganj and Garhwa through the Hariharganj bypass.
Existing Road to Remain with State Government
Tulsi Prasad, Executive Engineer (NH), said the new DPR provides for four-laning of the main carriageway between the bypasses rather than widening the existing roads running through towns.
He said the stretches between the end of the Arwal bypass and the start of the Daudnagar bypass, as well as between Daudnagar, Obra and Aurangabad, will be upgraded to four lanes. The bypass network will enable direct access to the Bharatmala Greenfield Expressway.
According to officials, the existing roads running parallel to the new bypasses will not be widened and will instead be transferred to the State Government’s Road Construction Department after the bypasses are completed.
The proposal will complete the four-laning of NH-139 between Aurangabad and Naubatpur. The four-lane stretch from Naubatpur to Patna has already been completed.
Officials Conduct Site Inspection
A joint team comprising officials from the NHAI consultancy agency, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and the NH Department inspected the proposed bypass alignments in Aurangabad and Obra on Friday.
During the visit, officials reviewed the proposed routes, alignment plans and progress of the DPR.
According to officials involved in the inspection, integrating the Aurangabad bypass with the Bharatmala Greenfield Expressway is expected to improve travel between Patna, Aurangabad, Palamu and the expressway by reducing travel time and easing traffic movement.
