Bidding process for Patna ring road project begins

PATNA: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started bidding process for the first phase of Patna ring road project. Announcing this here on Thursday, road construction minister Nand Kishor Yadav said a six-lane road would be built from Kanhauli in Bihta to Ramnagar in Patna south in the first phase.

The proposed alignment of Patna ring road is Bihta-Naubatpur-Dumri-Beldari Chak-Kachhi Dargah-Bidupur bridge-Saran-Astipur-Naya Gaon-Dighwara-Sherpur-Bihta. The 130km-long ring road project will be executed with an expenditure of over Rs 4,000 crore.

“The bidding process for roping in firm (s) for construction of 39km-long six-lane road in the first phase has been initiated. The last date for submitting bids for the same is August 6 and the work is targeted to be completed in 24 months from the date of award of contract. The first phase of the project will be executed with an expenditure of Rs 823 crore,” the minister said.

On the alignment of the first phase of the project, the minister said it would start from Kanhauli and pass through Sadisopur, Naubatpur, Dumri, Patna-Masaurhi road and culminate at Ramnagar.

“The construction of this road will allow vehicles coming from Ara and Bihta to directly go to places like Bhagalpur in north Bihar without entering Patna. These vehicles will go to north Bihar via Gaya, Jehanabad and Mokama,” the minister said, adding it would be second six-lane project in the state.

“Land is already available for 60-metre wide right of way (RoW) for this stretch of Patna ring road project. Thus, there is minimal requirement of land acquisition,” he said.

Nand Kishor said the alignment of the ring road would move north from Ramnagar and connect to Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-plane bridge in subsequent phases. “From Bidupur, the ring road will move further to Vaishali, enter Saran and return towards Patna with construction of a bridge over river Ganga connecting Sherpur in Maner block,” he said.

The 22.7km-long Kachhi Dargah-Bidupur bridge connecting Patna to Vaishali is scheduled to be completed by December 2021.

The ring road project is part of PM Narendra Modi’s special package for Bihar, which he had announced before 2014 general elections. Except Kachhi Dargah-Bidupur bridge, which is being constructed by Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited, remaining stretch of the project is being executed by NHAI.