Commuters will have another reason to cheer with a part of the AIIMS-Digha elevated road becoming functional by June next year.

The construction of this stretch would provide a direct road connection between AIIMS in south Patna and Rupaspur point at Ashok Rajpath in west Patna.

As things stand now, just 2km of the AIIMS-Rupaspur stretch of the road is incomplete.

Though the land acquisition has already delayed the project, the residents would at least get some relief after the 2km stretch is completed connecting Ashok Rajpath from the AIIMS side. The entire 12km project was supposed to be completed by September 2016. However, the land acquisition problem has delayed it by almost a year and the new deadline is August 2017.

Bihar State Road Development Corporation, a wing of the road construction department, has awarded the work to Gammon India Ltd.

The corporation's deputy general manager (Digha-AIIMS elevated corridor project), Sanjay Kumar, said: "Work is on the advance stage and we are hopeful to complete the 2km stretch by June 2016. The same stretch will connect Ashok Rajpath."

This is the second big project of the road construction department after the Ganga Driveway in Patna and it will come up on the western side of Patna and connect AIIMS with the Sonepur-Digha rail-cum-road bridge.

Sanjay added: "We are closely monitoring the work by the construction firm. We have been asked to construct the approach road of rail-cum-road bridge on the Patna side, which will again connect the elevated corridor."

This project would reduce journey time to AIIMS-Patna from the Digha locality. Even those coming from outside Patna would be benefited, particularly once the Sonepur-Digha rail-cum-road bridge becomes operational. Vehicles from north Bihar could use this bridge for a direct connectivity with the southern part of the city,

The project is being executed on the engineering procurement construction (EPC) mode. Under the EPC mode, funds are provided by the government and the agency, which takes up the work, is paid as per the work carried out by it. Even the ambitious Ganga Driveway project is being constructed on same pattern.

Requesting anonymity, while giving details of the ongoing work, a senior engineer of Gammon India Ltd, which is constructing the elevated road, said: "Of 700 pillars we have already completed work of 680 pillars. All this work would be completed by June 2016. The work of making the superstructure is also about to be completed soon and now are focusing on putting the girder on top of the elevated road."

From the AIIMS-Patna side, the first 3km of the road would have two lanes on a semi-elevated structure. It would culminate at the Bailey Road flyover between Jagdeo Path and Saguna Mor. The remaining portion of the road would be elevated and would have four lanes.

The project was inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar and he had laid the foundation for the Rs 717.4-crore project on the premises of Water and Land Management Institute (Walmi), Phulwarisharif, on November 2, 2013.