Three years from now, driving along Station Road would not be a start-and-stop affair. A flyover connecting Mithapur and Chiraiyatar road overbridges would ease its burden, making the life of commuters easy.

The proposed flyover would run in the east-west direction over the Station Road. A sum of Rs 150 crore would be spent on its construction.

Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav told The Telegraph: “Work on the project would start in the current fiscal (2012-13) and its construction would be over in three years. The western end of the 2.275-km-long flyover would be at the GPO roundabout near Mithapur. Its eastern flank would land on the existing Chiraiyatar flyover.”

It would be a four-lane bridge having a width of 25m. The upcoming flyover would be an additional flank of the existing Mithapur flyover, connecting Budh Marg with the Karbighaiya area in north-south direction (see graphics). Another ramp connecting the existing flyover with R-Block roundabout would be open for public by June.

Charting the benefits of the proposed flyover, the minister said: “Traffic congestion is a serious problem in the Station Road area. Once the proposed flyover is operational, it would segregate traffic, reducing the burden on the Station Road. The Chiraiyatar-bound commuters will not use the Station Road anymore. They will take the flyover. Those going to Patna Junction, on the other hand, will get to use the decongested Station Road.”

Yadav said: “At present, it takes more than half-an-hour to reach Chiraiyatar flyover from the R-Block roundabout. But once the proposed flyover is functional, the travel time will be cut short to 10 minutes.”

The minister said: “The detailed project report (DPR) of the flyover is being prepared. Once it is ready, the process of floating tender would start.”

Bihar Rajya Pul Niman Nigam Limited has been given the task of formulating the DPR. Once that is done, the Nigam would get the proposed flyover constructed by a firm under its supervision in the stipulated timeframe.

The minister said the new flyover would follow the single-pillar design. “The single-pillar flyovers occupy minimum space on the road below and does not affect traffic. Double-pillar flyovers take a lot of space, putting brakes on the traffic below them.”

The commuters expect the proposed flyover to bring to an end their sufferings while travelling through the Station Road. Ajay Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh, said: “It will be a boon for me as well as for the many others who take the Station Road to reach Kankerbagh. Traffic jam on the Station Road has become a part and parcel of our life. Once the flyover is complete, we will be able to save a lot of time.”

Expressing happiness over the decision to construct the new flyover, private firm employee Mayank Thakur said: “Apart from snarls on normal days, the traffic hardly moves on the Station Road during the Ram Navami and Ramazan because a temple and a mosque are located along the road. Thousands of devotees throng the road, stalling the traffic movement. Once the proposed flyover comes up, this problem would be solved forever.”

The shopkeepers along the Station Road have taken proposal to construct the flyover with a pinch of salt. They feel their business would be affected during its construction.

Besides the proposed flyover connecting Mithapur and Chiraiyatar road overbridges, the state government released Rs 48 crore in the last finacial year for starting the construction of a new flyover between Sheikhpura Mor and Jagdeo Path Mor. Its work would commence in the current financial year. The proposed flyover has a cost component of Rs 170 crore.