Vehicles are set to zoom along the Patna-Gaya-Dobi four-lane (NH-83) in the upcoming year, as the Union Road Transport Minister is scheduled to inaugurate this highway on January 5. The State Road Construction Department disclosed this information on Saturday, stating that Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for National Highway projects worth Rs 20 thousand crore in Bihar. The event is expected to take place in Darbhanga, where the foundation stone for a 230 km long controlled expressway between Amas-Darbhanga will also be laid.
Officials have revealed that Minister Gadkari will also finalize the initiation of work on the Adilbari (Sonpur)-Manikpur (East-Champaran) Road, Siwan-Masrakh, and Siwan-Hatauna Road. The Adilbari-Manikpur Road is a crucial component of the Buddha Circuit, while Siwan-Masrakh and Hatauna Road are integral to the Ramayana Circuit.
Additionally, Gadkari is anticipated to inaugurate the Galgaliya-Thakurkanj-Bahadurganj (NH 328E) and Purnia-Takihar-Narenpur (NH 131A). He will also lay the foundation stone for a 3 km long four-lane extension between Patna-Saristabad-Nathupur, connecting to the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi four-lane near Patna Bypass in Saristabad.
Originally estimated at Rs 5519 crore by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in 2015, the completion deadline for the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi four-lane project by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was set for March 2023. However, due to a lack of approval from the Indian Railways for the construction of the rail overbridge in Gaya, the project faced delays.
A spokesperson from the Road Construction Department stated that over 95 percent of the NH-83 project has been completed, with the construction of the rail overbridge in its final stages. Once finished, the travel time from Patna to Dobhi will be reduced to just three hours by road. Presently, ongoing construction work on various sections extends the travel time from Patna to Gaya beyond three hours.
The Patna High Court took serious note of the prolonged delay in the construction of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi road in 2015, prompting the initiation of monitoring for all NH projects in Bihar. At that time, the High Court summoned the Chairman of NHAI and directed the prioritized completion of under-construction projects.