Munger Ganga Bridge: Big Boost To Connectivity Between North And South Bihar With Opening Of 14.5 km Long Rail-cum-Road-Bridge

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday (Feb 11) jointly inaugurated 14.5 km long approach road to the rail-cum-road-bridge over Ganga river on NH 333B in Munger The approach road was developed at a total cost of Rs 696 crore.

The road-cum rail bridge will connect Munger-Jamalpur cities to Begusarai, Khagaria, and various districts of north Bihar. Munger Ganga Bridge is the third rail-cum-road bridge over Ganga in Bihar.

While the rail portion of the bridge is already open, the construction of the approach road part of the project was plagued by several delays.

In 2002, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee had laid the foundation for rail-cum-road bridge. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was then serving as the railway minister in the Vajpayee-led NDA government.

The construction phase of the project was however plagued by several delays. In March 2016, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the the railway part of the bridge made in the double-deck. The 3.75 km-long rail bridge portion was finally completed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,776 crore.

The road-cum-river bridge is regarded a critical piece of infrastructure for the state as people traveling from north Bihar to the southern districts of Munger, Lakshisarai, or Jamui were forced to take extensive detours. The nearest operational bridges are the Rajendra Setu in Mokama, which is 55 kilometers downstream, and the Vikramshila Setu in Bhagalpur, which is 68 kilometers upstream from the Munger Bridge.

Speaking on the occasion via video, Gadkari said one of the major tourist and pilgrimage sites of Bihar, the city of Munger is known for its rich ancient history, culture, education and commerce.

The Minister said that with the construction of this bridge, the distance from Munger to Khagaria will be less than 100 km and the distance from Munger to Begusarai will be less than 20 km.

Gadkari said there will be a saving of three hours in traveling from Munger to Khagaria - Saharsa and 45 minutes in traveling from Munger to Begusarai - Samastipur. Th Minister said the rail-cum-road-bridge will get rid of traffic jams and result in saving fuel costs.

Gadkari hoped that the project will bring progress and prosperity in the entire region, which will prove to be a milestone in the progress of the state of Bihar and the country.

Speaking during the inauguration, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said the rail-cum-road bridge has been named as Sri Krishna Sinha. The CM also recalled the efforts made by him to get the project rolling.

Long standing demand of Bihar

The demand for the bridge has been long standing demand by the politicians and people of the state

In 1953, the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had also promised the people of Munger that a bridge would be constructed over the river. In 1971, similar assurances were reiterated by Indira Gandhi during a poll campaign. The rail-cum-road bridge finally received a token allocation in (via a supplementary grant) in the railway budget for 1997-98.