Six-lane bridge over Ganga by April; CM inspects work

Patna: With all work progressing as planned, the 19.76-km-long six-lane Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur road-cum-bridge is expected to be ready for inauguration and public use by April this year. Once completed, the project will significantly improve north-south Bihar connectivity and ease the traffic load on the existing Mahatma Gandhi Setu, which runs parallel to it.This emerged when CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday visited Kachchi Dargah to inspect the ongoing construction of the 9.76-km six-lane bridge and the 10-km-long approach road. Officials said a substantial portion of the work had already been completed and that the remaining work would also be finished by April this year.The Kachchi Dargah end of the bridge-cum-road is located on NH-30 in Patna while the Bidupur end connects to NH-103 in Vaishali district on the other side of the river Ganga. With its completion, Patna will have three mega bridges across the Ganga — Mahatma Gandhi Setu, J P Ganga Setu and the upcoming Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur bridge.Asking officials to expedite work on the bridge as well as the two stretches of the approach roads, the CM said, “The completion of the project will provide unencumbered connectivity with Patna to people on the other side of the river. It will lead to development of the area, its agricultural, industrial and other economic activities. In situations of medical emergency, too, patients will reach Patna smoothly.”The execution of the entire project involves construction in three phases. The CM inaugurated the first phase, providing 4.57-km connectivity from Kachchi Dargah in Patna to Raghopur Diara in Vaishali district, on June 25 last year. The second phase involves construction from the Hajipur-Mahnar NH-122B to Chaksikandarpur on NH-322. Work under the third phase is currently underway from Raghopur Diara to the Hajipur-Mahnar NH-122 road.During his interaction with officials, the CM stressed the need for regular inspections of the ongoing work and asked them to ensure that construction is carried out expeditiously and completed within the stipulated timeline. He said the new mega bridge would provide an alternative route to cross the river Ganga for travel between north and south Bihar. He added that the Amas-Darbhanga Expressway would be linked with the Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur road, facilitating easier and smoother travel towards Samastipur, Darbhanga and Madhubani. “We have been always trying to give quality roads and bridges for unencumbered connectivity and travel,” the CM said.