Authorities Aims for 3.5-Hour Travel Time to Patna by 2027

Patna: The Bihar government has announced an ambitious infrastructure development plan aimed at significantly reducing travel times within the state. Deputy Chief Minister and Road Construction Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha stated on Friday that the goal is to enable travel from any district to Patna within three and a half hours by 2027.

This initiative builds on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s previous objective of achieving a five-hour travel time to the state capital from any location, a target expected to be met this year.

The Road Construction Department is accelerating work on numerous National and State Highway projects to achieve these ambitious targets. The central government is currently investing Rs 1 lakh 35 thousand crores in Bihar’s road infrastructure, while the state government is contributing Rs 35 thousand crores.

Several key projects are expected to be completed in 2025, including the Muzaffarpur bypass and the Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama four-lane highway (including a Rail Over Bridge) by February. The six-lane Auntha-Simaria bridge over the Ganga River and the Mithapur-Mahuli elevated road are also slated for completion in February.

The Saristabad-Nathupur four-lane road (2.80 km) is targeted for June completion, and the four-lane bridge over the Gandak River on the Hajipur-Chhapra road is expected to be finished by November. The double-decker flyover on Ashok Rajpath in Patna and the Ganga Path up to Didarganj are projected to be ready by March.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Department Mihir Kumar Singh, along with Sandeep KR Pudkalkatti, Shirshat Kapil Ashok, and NHAI RO YB Singh, were present at the announcement.

Ongoing Infrastructure Development Across Bihar

Construction is progressing on several other major infrastructure projects across Bihar. These include the Amas-Ramnagar-Kalyanpur-Darbhanga Greenfield project, the Patna-Bihta-Koilwar expressway section, the Bakarpur-Manikpur four-lane greenfield project, the Patna-Koiwar elevated path, a double-decker flyover in Chhapra city, a 5 km four-lane elevated corridor in Begusarai, and a 3 km four-lane elevated corridor in Gopalganj.

Further development is also underway on the Ganga Path beyond Didarganj.

Extensive Bridge Construction on Major Rivers

A significant focus of the infrastructure plan is the construction of new bridges across Bihar’s major rivers. Projects in progress include the six-lane Dighwara-Sherpur bridge, a six-lane bridge parallel to the JP Setu, a four-lane bridge parallel to the Gandhi Setu, a six-lane bridge between Kachidargah and Bidupur, the six-lane Auntha-Simaria bridge, a four-lane bridge parallel to the Vikramshila Bridge, and a four-lane bridge connecting Sahebganj and Manihari.

On the Gandak River, a four-lane bridge (the Konhwaghat bridge) and a two-lane bridge parallel to the existing Dumriaghat bridge are under construction. A two-lane bridge is also being built at Panduka on the Son River, and work continues on the Bakour and Phulaut bridges on the Kosi River.