The bidding process for the four-laning of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 in Bihar is currently underway, an official at the National Highways Authority of India said, moving the Rs 3,936.05-crore project a step closer to construction after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared it in June.
The CCEA, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the 143.529-km upgrade on June 3 under the Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) mode. The project will be executed on a corridor that runs from Patna to Purnea, connecting four districts: Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia.
Khagaria-Purnea highway to improve transport for banana and makhana farmers
The stretch runs through territory that produces two of Bihar‘s most time-sensitive crops: Khagaria’s banana farms and the makhana ponds and processing units around Purnea, one of the country’s largest makhana-producing hubs. Delays on the existing road have added to spoilage and cut into what farmers eventually earn, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The upgrade is meant to bring those transit times down. Government estimates put current travel times on the corridor at roughly 3.5 to 4 hours; once the four-lane road is operational, that is expected to fall to around 1.5 to 2 hours.
Bihar highway project to improve flood resilience and reduce congestion
Large parts of eastern Bihar’s road network sit close to the Kosi and Ganga river systems and are prone to seasonal flooding, which regularly disrupts movement on the existing highway. The upgrade includes changes to road geometry, stronger pavement and improved drainage, intended to make the corridor more resilient during the monsoon months.
The project also includes a 6.729-km greenfield bypass around Purnea city, meant to route through-traffic around the urban core and ease congestion in the built-up stretches of Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Purnia that officials have flagged as a persistent bottleneck.
Khagaria-Purnea corridor to connect highways, logistics hubs and economic zones
Beyond the immediate districts, the corridor is designed to tie into a wider network of infrastructure. It connects with five PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, a textile cluster, two mega food parks and two fishing and seafood parks, along with 11 logistics nodes that include four major railway stations, an airport in Purnea, four national highways and two state highways.
The highways it links up with include NH-27, NH-13, NH-131A and NH-231, along with state highways SH-95 and SH-77, giving the corridor onward connectivity into West Bengal and, through the broader highway network, into Jharkhand.
Project cost, construction details and employment generation
Of the total outlay of Rs 3,936.05 crore, the civil construction cost accounts for Rs 2,467.77 crore, with land acquisition estimated at Rs 290.16 crore. The government has projected the project will generate about 32.59 lakh person-days of direct employment and 40.55 lakh person-days of indirect employment over its construction period.