Patna: The Patna–Aurangabad–Hariharganj road is set to be widened into a four-lane highway in a move aimed at improving connectivity across south Bihar, the state’s road construction minister has said.
Dilip Jaiswal told the Bihar legislative assembly on Wednesday that a detailed project report (DPR) was being prepared for the upgrade of National Highway 139, which runs from Patna to Hariharganj via Aurangabad. The announcement came in response to a starred question from Trivikram Singh.
Traffic on the route, which connects the state capital with several key districts in southern Bihar, has increased significantly in recent years, prompting the proposal to expand the existing carriageway.
Jaiswal said he had written to the Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, on January 8 seeking approval for the widening. The central government has since responded, requesting that a DPR be submitted for consideration.
The proposed expansion is expected to ease congestion and support regional economic activity by improving road infrastructure in the area.
Meanwhile, concerns over deteriorating road conditions in Nawada were raised in the Bihar legislative council. During its 212th session, Nawada MLC Ashok Kumar called for the strengthening of the Haddi Godown road linking Nawada city to National Highway 20.
Through a short notice question, Kumar urged the government to reconstruct the stretch connecting Agrawal Petrol Pump in Ward No. 5 of Nawada municipal council directly to NH-20 via Haddi Godown. He said the road was in a dilapidated condition, causing inconvenience to residents.
Kumar also sought the construction of a roughly 3km link road from Bandarkol village in Kulna panchayat of Akbarpur block to the main road, arguing that the absence of a paved connection makes travel especially difficult during the monsoon season.
