The Bihar government and the National Highway Authority are spearheading a road infrastructure overhaul, promising to dramatically reduce travel times to the capital, Patna. The aim is to transform travel across the state, reducing journey times significantly. Previously, reaching Patna from any part of Bihar could take around six hours, but now the government is projecting travel times to be as low as 3.5 hours.
This ambitious undertaking involves a massive investment in road construction, with the goal of creating an expansive road network by 2027. This is not only designed to benefit Bihar but also neighboring states, improving connectivity and speeding up travel. Substantial financial resources have been allocated to these road projects through a collaborative effort of the Bihar and central governments.
**Green Highway Corridor**
An allocation of Rs 1,18,849.40 crore, provided by the state and central governments, is dedicated to road development. This investment will impact travel positively within Bihar, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. One of the key initiatives is the Green Highway Corridor between Patna and Purnia, which has been allotted Rs 28,415 crore.
**Haldia-Raxaul Expressway**
The 245-kilometer Haldia-Raxaul Expressway is designed to cut the Patna-Purnia travel time to just 3 hours. This 407-kilometer greenfield expressway will connect Raxaul in Bihar to the Haldia port in West Bengal. The expressway will pass through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The existing travel time for this route is approximately 6 hours.
**Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway**
Part of this transformation is the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway, which is a greenfield project spanning approximately 610 kilometers across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The portion in Bihar will cover 177.3 kilometers, with an estimated cost of Rs 11,206.4 crore.
**Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway**
The Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway, also under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, is a greenfield initiative that will link Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri in West Bengal, enhancing connectivity across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. The section of the expressway in Bihar will cover 417 kilometers, with an estimated cost of Rs 29,724 crore.
**Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway**
The six-lane Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway, with a length of 380 kilometers and an estimated cost of Rs 22,800 crore, will further improve connectivity. The project completion date is targeted for 2027.