Patna: The ambitious Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-lane bridge project will be completed by January 2021.
Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav on Thursday inspected the ongoing project, which would be the longest bridge in India over a river, both on the Patna and the Raghopur sides in Vaishali.
After inspecting the work for three hours, Nand Kishore looked satisfied and said the work is going on at the right pace and instructed the officials concerned to carry on the work in the same speed so that the work is completed on time.
The bridge is being constructed at Rs 4,988.4 crore and is being executed by Korean firm Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company Limited, in a joint venture with L&T India.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a loan of Rs 3,396 crore and the state government has given the rest.
Nand Kishore first visited the Patna base camp near the existing Bakhtiyarpur four-lane bypass of NH-30 and also at the end point between Chak Sikandar and Gazipur Chowk, which will connect NH-103.
In the first base camp, he was also given a Power Point presentation by Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDCL) Limited deputy general manager Mahesh Prasad in the presence of road construction department principal secretary Amrit Lal Meena and representative of the executing firm.
"The project would be completed by January 2021 and the work is on at a good pace. As far as I know it would be longest bridge in India over a river. The magnitude of the project could be visualised from the fact that it would be 9.76-km-long six-lane bridge with provision of footpaths. It would cater to the growing national and international traffic demands and boost the economy of the area," Nand Kishor said.
The total length of the project is 22.760km in which the main bridge is 9.76km. The cost of Rs 696.6 crore has been spent on land acquisition and the main bridge would cost Rs 4,291.8. At present, the Dhola Sadiya road bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra is India's longest bridge above water spanning over 9.15km.
Chief general manger of BSRDCL Chandra Shekhar said the total land required for the project is 313 acres and till date 243 acres have been acquired and transferred to the contractor. Out of the 87 foundations on which the pillars will come up, work is going on at 30 foundations.
Nand Kishore inspected the foundations and also the place where the concrete segmentsof the bridge would be developed. Former Raghopur MLA Satish Kumar was also accompanying the minister and his supporters gave a grand welcome when Nand Kishore reached the Raghopur side.
Nand Kishore said: "The connectivity to Raghopur, which is an island, will enhance the economic growth of the area ensuring access to better educational institutes, health institutions and establishment of industries. As a result the connectivity to Raghopur will upgrade the living standards of the residents."
The bridge will have its northern end near Bidupur in Vaishali and the southern tail at Kachchi Dargah in Patna. The approach road will be 13km.
