Patna: Road travel from the state capital to Mokama, the easternmost township of Patna, will be reduced to barely one hour from the present travel time of 2.30 hours. The long-awaited four-lane road (part of the National Highway 31) from Bakhtiarpur to Mokama will be opened for traffic.
95% work of Bakhtiarpur-Mokama stretch complete
Officials of the road construction department (RCD) said that about 95% work on 44-km stretch of Bakhtiarpur-Mokama stretch of NH31 is complete. “Construction of a two-lane rail over bridge near Karnauti village near Bakhtiarpur is in the final stages and it will be finished next month. Work on the other side of the two-lane bridge would begin once traffic on the adjacent side is opened,” said a senior officer.
Also Read: Work on 6-lane bridge on Ganga, parallel to JP Setu, to start soon
Patna-Bakhtiarpur four-lane in operation for 10 yrs
Currently, 50-km stretch of the four-lane road Patna and Bakhtiapur is in operation for the past one decade. Barh to Mokama four-lane road is also open for traffic for the past one year, without its inauguration. Once, Bakhtiarpur-Mokama stretch of NH-31 is opened, it will provide better road connectivity between north and south Bihar after crossing the Ganga river via the existing Rajendra Setu or the six-lane bridge being built adjacently. The bridges provide smooth connecting links to Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai and other eastern and north-eastern districts.
Project cost escalated to ₹1167-Cr due to delays
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) commenced construction of the four-lane road between Bakhtiapur and Mokama in June 2017 at the cost of ₹837 crore. Initially, the work was supposed to finish by December 2020. However, the project deadline had to be extended till 2023 owing to the issues in land acquisition. The project cost has welled to ₹1,167 crore.
Also Read: NHAI floats tender for five long-awaited 4-lane roads in Bihar
Six-lane bridge on Ganga to be opened in March-April
The six-lane road bridge, being built parallel to Rajendra Setu, is likely to be complete and set open for traffic by March or early April this year. It will connect Auta in Mokama with Simaria in Begusarai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for ₹1,161-crore project in 2017, Although initially slated for completion in 2021, the project got delayed under the impact of Covid pandemic. The bridge will significantly enhance connectivity between the two districts, in addition to creating the shortest route to travel from Patna to Northeastern parts of India.
