The road deck of the Sonepur-Digha bridge is set to be opened for use by December this year following assurances from the agencies involved that the work would be done by then.

Train movement on the rail-cum-road bridge started this February but the road section remains unused because of the approach road still being constructed.

Agencies that have undertaken the construction of the approach road have now said that the work would be completed latest by December.

Opening vehicular traffic on the bridge would ease pressure on the dilapidated Mahatma Gandhi Setu - the only link between Patna and north Bihar.

"By December 2016, approach road on the bridge's north side would be complete as we are almost done with majority of land acquisition," said a senior engineer associated with the approach road project.

"Out of 168 pilings (the foundation for the pillars supporting the superstructure), 42 has been done and work on the remaining stretch is going at a fast pace."

The road construction department has handed over the approach road construction work to Bihar State Road Development Corporation and Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam.

While the road development corporation is looking after the south approach road (on the Patna side), Pul Nirman Nigam is concentrating on the bridge's north end - Sonepur side (Saran).

Earlier, the Pul Nirman Nigam had said the appro-ach road could not be completed before February 2017 the but fast pace of private land acquisition has changed matters.

The senior engineer said: "In the first phase, we are constructing a 600m long bridge which will connect the Hajipur-Chhapra road. We have been given work for 5km of the stretch but once the 600m bridge is complete, the road can become functional.

"Once piling is completed, work on the superstructure would start. We just want to start the road as soon as possible," he added.

A total amount of Rs 244 crore is being spent on constructing the approach road on the Sonepur end.

Work on the south por-tion is progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed before the northern end as there is only 2km of approach road and no acquisition hassles.

There, the approach road is costing Rs 76 crore.

While road construction officials are gunning ahead to complete the approach road, work on the southern portion has landed in a legal problem.

"While clearing the encroachment we had to demolish a brink kiln and the owner moved Patna High Court. But we are confident that the decision will come in favour of the government," said a Bihar State Road Development Corporation official.

"This is not a big issue. Every project has its share of such cases and we expect the southern approach road to be completed by the month of August."