The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved a 4.5 km-long six-lane bridge across the Ganga river in Bihar that will connect Digha in Patna with Sonepur in Saran.
The estimated total cost of the project is ₹3,064 crore, which includes construction cost of ₹2,233 crore. The project is expected to be completed in 42 months, after it is awarded.
The bridge will facilitate the movement of goods and commodities between Digha and Sonepur as the current rail-cum-road bridge is meant only for light vehicles, according to a press release by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The bridge will unleash the economic potential of the region, it added.
The bridge will provide direct connectivity from Patna to the ‘Golden Quadrilateral Corridor’ via NH139 at Aurangabad and Sonepur. It will also provide connectivity to the proposed Viraat Ramayan Mandir, slated to be the world’s largest Hindu temple, at Kesariya in East Champaran district. The project is also part of the Buddhism circuit as it will provide better connectivity to the Buddha Stupa at Vaishali and Kesariya.
