Centre sanctions ₹6,800 crore for bridge over Ganga, road upgrade in Bihar

Bihar road construction department (RCD) minister Nand Kishore Yadav said the projects were sanctioned by a high-level committee headed by the secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), held in New Delhi on Monday

In an infrastructure boost to the state, the Central government has approved various road and bridge projects worth more than ₹6,800 crore.

The proposed bridge over Ganga aims to decongest Vikramshila Setu (HT File\)

The projects include the long-awaited four-lane bridge parallel to Vikramshila Setu, which connects Naugachia with Bhagalpur, and upgrade of seven road with a network of 357 km to national highways. Two of these roads are state highways while the rest are major district roads.

Bihar road construction department (RCD) minister Nand Kishore Yadav said the projects were sanctioned by a high-level committee headed by the secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), held in New Delhi on Monday. “All projects are part of the Prime Minister's package to Bihar, which was promised by Narendra Modi during the 2014 elections," said Yadav.

The detailed project reports for the bridge, major district roads and state highways were sent to MoRTH for approval and financial grants.

The Centre approved the projects after discussions with Bihar chief secretary Deepak Kumar, principal secretary of RCD Amrit Lal Meena, and chairman of the national highways authority of India (NHAI) Sanjiv Ranjan.

NHAI will build a four-lane bridge over the Ganga river, parallel to Vikranshila Setu, and widen seven roads at a cost of ₹1,900 crore and ₹4,900 crore. About 10.6-km approach road will be made to connect to the proposed 4.37-km bridge. The 64-km-long Buxar-Mohania-Chausa road, a state highway, will be widened from two lanes to four lanes at a cost of ₹960 crore.

Other roads that will be widened to four lanes and brought under the category of national highways are Samastipur-Darbhanga, Bhagalpur-Dakha More, Hajipur-Bachhwara, Rosera-Darbhanga via Baheri, Saraigarh-Lalganj-Ganpatganj, Sarwanchakai.

Road to development

With the Centre approving ₹6,800 crore for a bridge over the Ganga and seven roads, people in the state can look forward to hassle-free commute. Here is the break-up of Central funds:

Bridge parallel to Vikramshila Setu

1,900 crorel: Project cost

4: lanes

4.37 km: Length of the bridge

10.6 km: Length of an approach road of the bridge

The bridge will be built over Ganga

Funds for seven roads

These stretches are either major district roads or state highways, and will be upgraded to national highways. All will have four lanes.

Samastipur-Darbhanga Road

50 km: Length of the road

1,612 crore: Project cost

Bhagalpur-Dakha More Road (in Banka district)

62 km: Length of the road

₹1,121 crore: Project cost

Hajipur-Bachhwara Road

75 km: Length of the road

₹552 crore: Project cost

Rosera-Darbhanga Road via Baheri

78 km: Length of the road

₹452 crore: Project cost

Saraigarh-Lalganj-Ganpatganj Road

10 km: Length of the road

₹127 crore: Project cost

Sarvanchakai Road

18km: Length of the road

₹80 crore:  Project cost