Elevated 9-km-long road at Rajgir to offer a ‘monumental’ drive

While the RCD is building the Gaya-Biharsharif portion of national highway as four-lane from the funding of MoRTH, the work on the road between Vanganga and SDM office was left unattended lest it may take a toll on archaeological attractions like Bimbisar Jail, Chariot Wheel Mark, Maniyar Math, Cyclopean Wall, etc

The 9-km-long congested stretch of National Highway 82 at Rajgir, which connects Gaya to Biharsharif through reserve forest and historical places, would be developed as a four-lane elevated road, a senior official in the state’s road construction department (RCD) said.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (HT File)

The Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has given its consent to the RCD for alignment of the elevated bypass on existing two-lane road — from Vanganga to the SDM office — following chief minister Nitish Kumar’s insistence to ensure seamless traffic on the stretch without impacting charm of the place, the official said.

While the RCD is building the Gaya-Biharsharif portion of national highway as four-lane from the funding of MoRTH, the work on the road between Vanganga and SDM office was left unattended lest it may take a toll on archaeological attractions like Bimbisar Jail, Chariot Wheel Mark, Maniyar Math, Cyclopean Wall, etc.

Additional chief secretary (RCD) Amrit Lal Meena said pre-construction activities like forest clearance and utilities shifting would start as the MoRTH has cleared the new alignment. “The 8.7-km-long elevated road would be made in cable stayed style in addition to four-km long four-lane at-grade road. The entire project is likely to cost ₹1,300 crore,” said Meena, adding that the MoRTH gave its clearance to the elevated road on Friday.

The Central government has allocated a sum of ₹2,000 crore for building the NH from Gaya to Biharsharif via Rajgir. “Of the total, ₹900 crore has been spent on land acquisition. With elevated road being added, the entire project cost would go up to ₹3,200 crore,” said an officer of the RCD, adding that the road portion of the NH is likely to be complete by March next year.

An engineer with RCD said the corridor would pass through at least 10 historical monuments and a portion of the reserve forest area and hence would offer a scenic view to commuters. The road is also important as it connects Rajgir with other important cities like Patna, Nawada, Jamshedpur, Koderma and Kolkata. “The CM visited the spot twice in the last couple of years and personally suggested the alignment of elevated structure,” he said.