The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹3,590.73 crore project to widen the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of National Highway (NH)-22 in Bihar to four lanes.
“This project starts from the Nepal border and goes through Sonbarsa and Sitamarhi down to Muzaffarpur. Essentially, it will become a major artery for transport, a very important main road that will benefit Bihar for many years to come,” Union minister for information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The construction is scheduled to be completed in 30 months using flexible, or black-top, pavement. The project will include seven major bridges, three road overbridges and six underpasses, besides a 340-metre bridge over the Bagmati river, Vaishnaw said.
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Vaishnaw added that the highway would also support tourism and economic activity in the region and connect the Mata Janki Temple in Sitamarhi district. “There are many major tourism spots involved, plus it is essentially becoming an economic corridor where development is increasing very rapidly,” he said.
“Highway design teams are very strong and National Highways has a good track record... Bridges will be designed very carefully, keeping the Bagmati River floods in mind... so you can be assured,” he said.
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{{/usCountry}}The project will cover key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Bihar, including five PM Gati-Shakti Economic Nodes (four Industrial Estates and one Mega Food park), four Social Nodes (Baba Garibnath Temple, Mata Janki Temple, Punaura Dham, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi aspirational Districts), and two Logistic Nodes (Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi Railway Stations), thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region, according to the Press Information Bureau.