Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday reviewed the ongoing construction of a four-lane bridge across the Ganga, designed to ease congestion on the ageing Mahatma Gandhi Setu.
CM Nitish inspected the site from the southern to the northern end of the river, stopping near pillar nine in Saifpur, Hajipur, to receive a detailed briefing from officials. The 14.5km bridge is being built parallel to the existing structure, which remains a critical but often overburdened link between north and south Bihar.
Speaking during the inspection, CM Nitish urged officials to expedite the project. “This bridge will ease traffic on the Mahatma Gandhi Setu and make travel between north and south Bihar smoother. Its timely completion is essential to provide relief to commuters,” he said.
The project also includes the construction of an eight-lane approach road on both ends to facilitate better traffic flow.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Road Construction Department Mihir Kumar Singh told the chief minister that work was progressing at a rapid pace. The new bridge is expected to provide significant benefits to residents of Muzaffarpur, Saran and Vaishali districts by improving direct access to Patna.
“We have been closely monitoring this project. It should be completed as soon as possible,” CM Nitish said.
The chief minister was accompanied by Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Principal Secretary S. Siddharth, and Road Construction Department Secretary Sandeep Kumar R. Pudkalkatti.
Senior district officials, including Patna District Magistrate Dr. Thiyagarajan SM, Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Avkash Kumar and Vaishali Superintendent of Police Lalit Mohan Sharma, were also present.
