Bihar is witnessing a major infrastructure overhaul, with a comprehensive network of rural roads and bridges being developed with the support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). This initiative is nearing completion, resulting in improved accessibility to villages and reduced travel times to urban centers. These new roads are also fostering economic growth in rural Bihar.
The Rural Works Department’s progress reports show that in 2023, the department approved the construction of 2025 rural roads, and 1859 of these have already been built. These roads cover a total length of 5254.490 kilometers, with 4822.474 kilometers already completed.
Alongside roads, the project included the construction of 1235 bridges with NABARD’s support. To date, 910 bridges have been constructed. The remaining 325 bridges are under construction and are expected to be finalized soon.
Nalanda district leads the way in road construction. Out of 214 approved roads, 199 have been completed. Over 370 kilometers of roads have been constructed in Nalanda, approaching the target of 396.194 kilometers. Additionally, 59 out of 67 planned bridges have been constructed in the district.
Gaya district has also achieved significant progress, with 120 out of 129 approved roads completed. A total of 365.782 kilometers of roads have been built, with the goal of 395.245 kilometers. Moreover, 46 out of 57 bridge projects are finished.
Patna, the capital, has completed 157 out of 167 approved rural roads, covering 329.708 kilometers of the targeted 363.767 kilometers. In Patna’s rural areas, 46 out of 54 bridges have been completed.
Other districts are also seeing great progress, including: Aurangabad (244.856 kilometers), Darbhanga (235.740 km), East Champaran (230.772 km), Munger (202.814 km), Rohtas (176.462 km), Jehanabad (169.606 km), Sitamarhi (151.346 km), and Muzaffarpur (139.682 km). In addition, rural road construction is nearing completion in Jamui, Madhubani, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Kishanganj, and Nawada.