Patna: Land acquisition has begun for the ambitious Patna-Purnia Six-Lane Greenfield Expressway project in Bihar, a development set to drastically cut travel time between the two cities from nearly nine hours to just three.
The expressway, being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 18,042.14 crore, will span multiple districts, including Vaishali, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhepura and Purnia. Construction is scheduled to begin once the land acquisition process concludes, with a completion target of 36 months, sources said.
In Vaishali district, land is being acquired across six blocks, while in Samastipur, eight blocks are involved. Similarly, five blocks in Saharsa, two each in Darbhanga and Madhepura, and six blocks in Purnia will see land acquisition for the project.
The expressway will start near the Hajipur-Muzaffarpur four-lane NH-22, three kilometres south of Mir Nagar Sarai in Vaishali district, and pass through National Highway 322, Raja Pokhar, Laxmanpur, Sarangpur Sarayartan, and several other locations before merging with the Gulabbag-Kishanganj four-lane highway.
Key infrastructure features include 21 large bridges, 140 small bridges, 11 railway overbridges, 21 interchanges, and 322 underpasses for vehicles.
Currently, commuters from Patna to Purnia travel either via NH-31 through Mokama and Khagaria or via Muzaffarpur along NH-22 and NH-27 — both routes taking around eight to nine hours. The new expressway is expected to transform connectivity and significantly cut travel time across the region.
