Patna: Patna’s much-anticipated double-decker flyover, opened on June 11 along Ashoka Rajpath, remains disconnected from Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), months after it was opened to the public. Built at a cost of around Rs 422 crore, the flyover links Kargil Chowk in Gandhi Maidan to Krishna Ghat and connects directly to the JP Ganga Path, easing traffic along the Ganges. However, plans to extend the flyover’s connectivity to PMCH have yet to materialise.
The delay stems from a land dispute between the Bridge Construction Corporation and Metro officials. The land between the flyover and PMCH is currently occupied by ongoing Metro construction. The Bridge Construction Corporation has called for the land to be vacated to allow road connectivity, while Metro authorities insist that handover is impossible until the station construction is complete. The matter is now caught between the Road Construction Department and the Urban Development Department.
Direct access to PMCH via the flyover is considered essential for patients and their families. A multi-level parking lot is under construction on the hospital campus, which, if linked to the flyover, would allow vehicles to reach the hospital without navigating congested streets. At present, the only route is via JP Ganga Path, used primarily by doctors, staff, and patients.
Meanwhile, the approach road near NIT, intended to provide direct access to the Mahendru area, remains incomplete. Responsibility for this road has been transferred to Metro authorities, who say construction will begin in the new year alongside pending metro stations.
Metro tunnel construction from Moinul Haq Stadium to Patna University and from Patna University to PMCH has been completed. Yet, until the metro stations are finished, both land transfer and flyover connectivity remain uncertain, leaving the promised benefits of the double-decker road largely on paper.
