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The Union Cabinet has approved the upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 in Bihar into a four-lane highway under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model at an estimated cost of INR 3,936.05 crore. The project is aimed at addressing congestion, geometric deficiencies and safety concerns across key stretches passing through Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia districts. The scheme also includes the development of a 6.729-km greenfield bypass around Purnea city. Once completed, the upgraded corridor is expected to reduce travel time significantly, improve logistics efficiency and strengthen connectivity with major economic and transport hubs, including PM Gati-Shakti economic nodes, railway stations, an airport and key national and state highways.
The Union Cabinet has approved the four-laning of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 in Bihar at an investment of INR 3,936.05 crore. Cleared in the past week, the project will be executed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model and is intended to improve connectivity, traffic flow and road safety across several districts in the state.
The highway corridor passes through Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia districts, where increasing traffic volumes and existing infrastructure constraints have led to congestion and operational challenges. According to an official statement, the project has been designed to address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves and bottlenecks in built-up urban and semi-urban areas along the route.
A key component of the project is the construction of an extended greenfield bypass around Purnea city. The bypass, spanning 6.729 km, is expected to divert through traffic away from densely populated areas, reducing congestion within the city while improving traffic movement on the broader corridor.
The upgraded four-lane highway is expected to improve travel efficiency across the region. Government estimates indicate that average travel speeds on the corridor will increase substantially, bringing down travel time to nearly two hours. The project is also expected to enhance road safety standards by improving alignment and reducing accident-prone sections.
In addition to reducing travel time, the improved corridor is projected to lower vehicle operating costs and improve fuel efficiency for both passenger and freight traffic. The government stated that these benefits would contribute to enhanced regional mobility and support broader socio-economic development across the districts connected by the route.
The project has also been positioned as an important logistics and connectivity initiative. The upgraded highway will provide seamless access to several economic, social and transport centres across Bihar. It will strengthen multimodal integration through links with five PM Gati-Shakti Economic Nodes and 11 logistics nodes.
These logistics nodes include four major railway stations, one airport, four national highways and two state highways. Improved integration between road, rail and air transport infrastructure is expected to facilitate smoother movement of goods and passengers across the region, supporting freight efficiency and improving access to markets and services.
The approval forms part of the government's broader efforts to strengthen national highway infrastructure and improve transport connectivity in eastern India, with Bihar continuing to receive significant investments in road network expansion and capacity enhancement.
Source - PTI
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