Patna: Bihar has taken major steps toward transforming its road network over the last five years. On Monday, Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin released the department’s five-year report card in Patna, describing the progress made between 2020 and 2025. He said the department has played a big role in the all-round development of Bihar and has worked continuously to strengthen the road infrastructure that connects cities, towns, and villages across the state.
Nitin Nabin said the main goal of the department is to ensure that people can travel easily and safely to all parts of Bihar. He added that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has set a clear target — no part of the state should be more than five hours away from Patna. Work is already underway to reduce this travel time to just four hours by 2027. The minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government for their support in improving Bihar’s road network through various national and state-level projects.
The minister said that the department is upgrading single-lane roads into two lanes in a phased manner. Important routes are being developed to connect existing and upcoming four-lane and six-lane highways. To reduce traffic jams and ensure safe travel, railway overbridges, flyovers, and elevated roads are being constructed at busy crossings and urban centres. Work has already started on many of these projects. Bypasses are also being built around cities and densely populated areas to make traffic movement smoother. Nabin added that the government is also working on new roads and bridges in rural areas so that development reaches every corner of the state.
Since Bihar has many rivers, the construction of bridges has been a major focus. According to Nabin, 15 new bridges have been completed and 17 more are being built. These bridges will help in maintaining smooth and uninterrupted travel across the state. The government also plans to build ring roads in several cities, similar to the Patna Ring Road, to improve urban transport. Along with this, Bihar is working on three important projects under the Hybrid Annuity Mode, including the extension of J.P. Ganga Path from Digha to Koilwar and the construction of the Sultanganj–Bhagalpur four-lane road.
To ensure the safety and long life of bridges, Bihar has become the first state in India to introduce a Bridge Management and Maintenance Policy in 2025. This policy will help in the regular inspection and timely repair of bridges. The minister also said that the state has been successfully following the Bihar Road Assets Maintenance Policy, which focuses on maintaining roads for a long period. After completing the first five-year phase between 2013 and 2018, the department is now working on the second phase from 2019 to 2026 under a preventive maintenance system.
In his closing remarks, Nitin Nabin said that Bihar’s road construction journey is not just about building new roads but also about maintaining them properly. He said the department’s commitment is to make every journey faster, safer, and more comfortable for the people of Bihar. With continuous support from both the state and central governments, Bihar’s road network is rapidly expanding and becoming one of the strongest in the country.
