The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 in Bihar to a 4-lane standard at a total capital cost of ₹3,936.05 crore.
The project will cover a length of 143.529 Km and will be implemented under the Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) mode.
The corridor forms part of the Patna-Purnea route and passes through the districts of Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia.
According to the government, the project aims to address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves and congestion in several built-up areas along the existing highway corridor.
A 6.729 Km greenfield bypass around Purnea city will also be developed as part of the project.
The upgraded corridor is expected to increase average travel speeds and reduce travel time to around two hours.
The project is also expected to improve road safety, fuel efficiency and vehicle operating costs while enhancing regional mobility and supporting socio-economic development.
The corridor will provide connectivity to key economic, social and logistics hubs across Bihar.
It will also strengthen multi-modal integration by connecting with five PM GatiShakti economic nodes, including one textile cluster, two Mega Food Parks and two fishing and seafood parks.
The project will further connect 11 logistics nodes comprising four major railway stations, one airport, four national highways and two state highways, facilitating faster movement of passengers and freight.
According to the project details, the total civil construction cost has been estimated at ₹2,467.77 crore, while land acquisition cost stands at ₹290.16 crore.
The upgraded highway will connect with NH-27, NH-13, NH-131A and NH-231, as well as State Highways 95 and 77.
Key transport nodes linked through the corridor include Purnea Airport and the railway stations at Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia.
The project will also improve connectivity to the major urban centres of Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia.
The government estimates that the project will generate 32.59 lakh direct person-days and 40.55 lakh indirect person-days of employment during its implementation.
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