By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inspected the ongoing construction of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi road, instructing officials to complete the project by December. Once finished, the journey between Patna and Gaya will be reduced to just two hours. The Chief Minister also issued various directives to the concerned authorities, emphasising the need to make the four-lane road operational by the end of December.
During his journey to Jehanabad, CM Nitish Kumar stopped near the Basuhar bridge in Punpun to review the progress of the road. He was accompanied by Minister-in-charge Ashok Chaudhary, Principal Secretary of Road Construction Pratyaya Amrit, the Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar, and other senior officials.
The CM has instructed that one lane of the railway overbridge be operational by September 30, while the entire project is expected to be fully functional by the end of December. According to Ghulam Qadir, Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the completion of the four-lane road will cut the travel time between Patna and Gaya to just two hours.
The 127-km-long Patna-Gaya-Dobhi road starts from Patna and connects to the GD road near Dobhi, passing through Jehanabad and Gaya. Of the total stretch, 39 km is being constructed in Patna district, 44 km in Jehanabad district, and 44.22 km in Gaya district.
Originally, the road was expected to cost more than ₹1,600 crore, but delays have escalated the cost to over ₹5,000 crore. Despite the ongoing supervision by the Patna High Court, the project has continuously missed its deadlines. Nevertheless, over 90% of the construction work has now been completed, and the road is anticipated to open by December.
Construction of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi road began in 2010 but was repeatedly delayed due to issues such as the contractor abandoning the project and difficulties in land acquisition. However, following the intervention of the Patna High Court, the project gained momentum. Now, after 14 years, the road’s completion is finally in sight. Once operational, the road will provide easier access for pilgrims travelling to Gaya and offer significant relief from traffic congestion by connecting to the Patna bypass.
