Bihar Four-Lane Highway Project Approved

New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of the four-lane Sahebganj-Areraj-Bettiah section of 78.942 km on the NH-139W in Bihar on the hybrid annuity mode at an estimated cost of Rs 3,822.31 crore.

The proposed four-lane greenfield project will improve connectivity between Patna and Bettiah, and connect north Bihar districts of Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran and West Champaran up to the areas along the Indo-Nepal border.

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has today approved the construction of the four-lane Sahebganj-Areraj-Bettiah section of the NH-139W in Bihar on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) with a total project length of 78.942 km and total capital cost of Rs 3,822.31 crore," an official statement said.

The project will support the movement of long-distance freight traffic, improve access to key infrastructure and facilitate regional economic development by improving connectivity to agricultural zones, industrial areas, and cross-border trade routes, it added.

According to the statement, the project will connect seven PM Gati Shakti economic Nodes, six Social Nodes, eight Logistic Nodes, nine Major Tourism and Religious Centers by improving access to key heritage and Buddhist tourist sites, including the Kesariya Buddha Stupa (Sahebganj), Someshwarnath Mandir (Areraj), Jain Mandir and Vishwa Shanti Stupa (Vaishali), and Mahavir Temple (Patna), thereby strengthening the Buddhist circuit and international tourism potential of Bihar.

The NH-139W has been planned to provide high-speed connectivity to alternate routes that are presently congested and geometrically deficient, and pass through built-up areas. It will serve as an important link to the NH-31, NH-722, NH-727, NH-27 and NH-227A.

The statement said the proposed greenfield alignment will support an average vehicular speed of 80 km/h against the design speed of 100 km/h.

This will reduce the overall travel time between Sahebganj and Bettiah, from 2.5 hours to 1 hour, compared to existing alternatives, while offering safe, fast and uninterrupted connectivity for both passenger and freight vehicles.

According to the statement, the proposed project with a length of 78.94 km will generate close to 14.22 lakh man-days of direct employment and 17.69 lakh man-days of indirect employment.

The project will also induce additional employment opportunities due to an increase in economic activity in the vicinity of the proposed corridor, it added.