Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s dream project, Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur bridge on the river Ganga, is a frustrating tale of jumping deadlines.
The work on the 5.57 km long four-lane bridge with 45 km approach road commenced in 2011. It took more than 13 years to complete about 60% of the whole project. The Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDC), which is executing the ambitious bridge project, has stipulated 2026 as a fresh deadline to finish the project.
Also Read: Bihar bridge collapse: Govt to revive halted CM Setu Nirman Yojna
After completion of the project, the bridge will connect National Highway 28 in Samastipur and NH 31 in Patna. It is aimed at reducing traffic load on Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna and Rajendra Setu in Mokama.
The bridge recently hogged the media glare when a bridge of its approach road section caved in September last year. The incident had happened near Nandani Laguniyan railway station in Shahpur Patori area of Samastipur. No casualty was reported in the accident.
Also Read: New bridge on Gandak to bring Bettiah & Kushinagar closer
Reports said that slabs on spans between the pillars were being laid on the bridge, which forms a 45-km long approach road to Tajpur-Bakhtiyarpur bridge. The main 5.57km long four-lane bridge on the river is being constructed by Navyuga Engineering Company Limited since 2011 at the cost of ₹1603 crore.
Officials of the BSRDC said that the construction company was given a five-year deadline to complete the project. However, the deadline was extended to 2022 owing to abysmally slow pace of work. Now, the construction company has been asked to finish the project by 2026, which according to many looks a distant dream.
Also Read: IIT-Delhi had vetted design of ill-fated Aguanighat bridge: Bihar Govt
Officials said that the construction of the bridge had suffered massive damage due to a storm about five years ago. The launching plate fell down while setting the slab on the pillar near pillar number 1 from Bakhtiyarpur, due to which this bridge construction suffered heavy damage and crores of rupees were lost. Upon considering the scale of damage and cost escalation, the BSRDC revised the project cost to ₹ 2,875 crore.