Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav inaugurates the new wing of the Mithapur flyover in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Gopal Choubey will not have to worry anymore about getting stuck in a snarl on Bailey Road on his way to work. He will now be able to take the new extension of the Mithapur flyover that was inaugurated on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old Kankerbagh resident works at a private company at Ashiana, around 15km away from his home.

Till Monday, it took him more than an hour to reach office. After the opening of the 350-m-long third extension that starts at Hardinge Road and ends at R-Block, it will take him less than half an hour.

“It is a big relief for me because I shall not have to stop at a number of red lights on Bailey Road. Earlier, I would have to negotiate heavy traffic on Exhibition Road, Dakbungalow roundabout, Kotwali Mor and Hartali Mor. Now, I can reach office without stopping anywhere,” said Choubey.

The flyover — constructed at a cost of Rs 183 crore — is a joint project of Indian Railways and the state government. The railways contributed Rs 60 crore for the project awarded to Icron in 2006. The construction cost of the third extension to the flyover was Rs 12 crore.

While inaugurating it, road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said: “It is a gift to the residents of the Patna on the eve of Independence Day. The people can travel without any trouble. It would not have been possible to complete the project without the help of the district administration and the team members involved.”

A stretch of Hardinge Road (between General Post Office and R-Block) was closed to traffic since November last year for the construction of the extension. This led to snarls at Income Tax roundabout because the commuters had to take a circuitous route.

Residents, however, feel that the traffic horrors are now a thing of the past. Boring Road resident Anand Prakash said: “This is a great job done by our government.”