Bihar: Gadkari Promises 10 Greenfield Expressways By 2024

The central government is gearing up to complete road projects worth ₹3 lakh crore, including 13 greenfield expressways and economic corridors, in Bihar by 2024.

This was said by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Monday (14 November) while laying the foundation of the road projects in Rohtas district in Bihar.

As part of improving road connectivity, 10 Greenfield expressways are under construction in the state of Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs 1.10 lakh crore.

The construction of a project on a new alignment is categorized as a Greenfield project.

The Greenfield projects generally pass through new areas, wherein the per unit cost of land acquisition is generally less, considering less development in these areas.

Swarajya takes a look at the proposed expressways in the state of Bihar:

1. Raxaul-Haldia Greenfield Expressway

• The 6-lane, 692-km-long expressway from Raxaul in Bihar to Haldia Port in West Bengal is being built at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore.

• The expressway via Patna will facilitate swift movement of goods from North Bihar to Bengal. It will be a boon for exporters in Nepal who will have high-speed access to Kolkata and Haldia ports.

 2. Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway

• The 6-lane, 520-km-long greenfield expressway from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri in West Bengal will traverse through northern Bihar.

• The expressway passes through Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Saharsa, Purnia, and Kishanganj before reaching Siliguri.

• It is being developed at a cost of Rs 25,000 crore.

 3. Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway

• The 6-lane, 612-km Varanasi-Kolkata corridor will pass through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

• It will cover a distance of 22 km in UP, 159 km in Bihar, 187 km in Jharkhand and 244 km in West Bengal.

• The project will enhance the connectivity for the entire Eastern India and has an estimated budget of Rs 30,000 crore.

 4. Patna-Arrah-Sasaram Expressway

• The 118-km-long Patna-Sasaram expressway through Arrah is being built at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore.

• The expressway, named as NH-119A will boost accessibility to the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) from Delhi to Kolkata. This will help commuters travelling to Delhi or Kolkata from Patna.

 5. Patna-Bettiah Expressway

• The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing a 4-lane road between Patna and Bettiah, at a cost of Rs 6,500 crore.

• It would reduce the distance between the two cities to 165 km from the current 200-odd km and travel time to around 2.5 hours from the current five hours.

 6. Bakarpur-Dumariaghat Expressway

• The 92-km-long across Saran, Vaishali and Muzaffarpur districts will enhance the connectivity of these districts to the state capital.

7. Patna Ring Road

• The Outer Ring Road is a proposed 100-km ring road encircling the capital city of Patna.

• It will be 6-lane greenfield expressway to be built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore.

• The highway project will spread the area of ​​Patna State Capital Region (SCR) to three districts Patna, Vaishali and Saran district. The expansion of Patna city will also reach north of the River Ganga, including both sides of Gandak River.

 8. Munger-Mirzachauki Expressway

• The 4-lane, 125-km long Munger-Bhagalpur-Mirzachauki expressway will enhance connectivity to Jharkhand and West Bengal via Bhagalpur.

• The NHAI has awarded the contract for the expressway in four packages at a total cost of Rs 8,000 crore.

 9. Amas-Darbhanga Expressway

• The 198-km expressway will connect north to south Bihar with travel time of less than four hours.

10 .Patna-Arrah-Buxar Expressway

• The 181-km Patna-Buxar Expressway is being developed at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore to provide seamless connectivity between Patna and the Purvanchal expressway in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

• A 92-km-long stretch of this expressway between Koilwar and Buxar was inaugurated by the Union Minister on Monday (14 November).

• The Koilwar-Buxar stretch will be further connected to the state capital, Patna via an elevated road.

The 10 greenfield expressways, once ready, will facilitate direct and indirect employment to lakhs of people and will change the physical face of Bihar.

These expressways will unlock Bihar’s potential and put the state on the road to progress and prosperity.