Patna: Traffic movement on Bailey Road is set to change significantly as Patna Metro begins construction of underground stations along one of the city’s busiest transport corridors.
The Patna Traffic Police and Patna Metro Rail administration have jointly prepared a traffic management plan that will allow construction to continue while maintaining vehicle movement. The arrangement will affect commuters travelling through key locations including Income Tax Golambar, Vikas Bhawan and Patna Zoo.
Why Is The Traffic Plan Being Introduced?
Metro station construction is about to begin at several points on Bailey Road as part of Corridor-1 of the Patna Metro project.
The work involves large-scale excavation for underground stations and tunnels, making it impossible to keep the entire width of the road open to traffic.
Authorities say the new arrangement is intended to minimise disruption while ensuring construction can progress safely.
How Will Traffic Move?
Under the revised system, vehicles travelling in both directions will use only one side of Bailey Road (Nehru Path) at a time.
A temporary central divider will split the available carriageway into two lanes, with one lane allocated to each direction of traffic.
The divider will be movable. If construction shifts to the northern side of the road, traffic will use the southern carriageway. When work moves to the southern side, the divider will be repositioned so that traffic can operate on the northern carriageway.
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Which Areas Will Be Affected?
The first phase of construction will begin near:
- Income Tax Golambar
- Vikas Bhawan
- Gate No. 1 of Patna Zoo
To facilitate the work, parts of the boundary walls and other structures of several government buildings, including Vikas Bhawan, Niyojan Bhawan, Vishveshvaraiya Bhawan and staff quarters at Lok Bhawan, are expected to be removed after necessary approvals.
When Will Tunnel Construction Begin?
According to Patna Metro officials, tunnel excavation beneath Bailey Road is expected to begin in November.
A launching shaft is currently under construction near Patna Zoo. Once completed, Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will be lowered underground from this location.
The metro authorities have procured four TBMs for the project.
How Will The Tunnel Be Built?
Tunnel excavation will be carried out in two phases.
In the first phase, two TBMs will move westwards from the zoo towards Raja Bazar and Rukanpura.
In the second phase, two additional machines will move eastwards towards Vikas Bhawan and Vidyut Bhawan.
The underground section forms part of the 10.54-kilometre Corridor-1, which will connect Mithapur and Patliputra Junction.
The corridor will transition from an elevated alignment at Mithapur to an underground tunnel before returning to an elevated section near Patliputra.
Officials said around 70% of the elevated construction at both ends of the corridor has already been completed.
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Why Will Construction Take Around Three Years?
Former Patna Metro Rail Corporation General Manager (Works) Vijay-sheel Kashyap said underground tunnelling requires constant monitoring because the route passes through densely populated areas.
According to him, engineers must ensure that nearby buildings and public infrastructure remain unaffected while dealing with unknown underground conditions, making underground construction considerably slower than elevated metro work.
Will Traffic Congestion Increase?
Bailey Road is one of Patna’s busiest arterial roads, linking central Patna with the city’s western suburbs.
According to transport experts, the corridor carries around 12,000 to 13,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) per hour during peak periods.
With traffic confined to roughly half the existing road width during construction, authorities expect congestion unless strict traffic management measures are enforced.
What Measures Have Been Suggested?
Traffic experts have recommended that commercial vehicles be diverted to Ashok Rajpath and the Patna Bypass during the construction period to reduce pressure on Bailey Road.
Prof. Sanjeev Sinha, Dean (Planning and Development) at NIT Patna, said strict enforcement of traffic rules and substantial police deployment would be essential to prevent bottlenecks. He said vehicles should not be allowed to stop on the carriageway and commercial vehicles should be kept off Bailey Road while underground construction is underway.
Officials are expected to announce the detailed implementation schedule and diversion plans before construction at the station sites begins.
