Citizens travelling from south Patna to Digha in the north would not have to encounter snarls if the state government’s plan to construct a two-lane elevated road sees the light of day.

Sources said the state government would submit a proposal for the road to the Planning Commission soon. After construction, the road would connect the southern parts of the city with the upcoming Digha-Sonepur road-cum-rail bridge and the proposed Ganga driveway.

The project would have a cost component of Rs 720 crore. The 12.3-km-long elevated stretch — connecting Bhusaula and Digha — would be constructed over Patna canal. At the Bhusaula end, it would connect to National Highway 98 that links Patna with Aurangabad.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been given the task of drawing up the detailed project report (DPR). “We will provide the DPR to the state government within a week,” a senior NHAI officer told The Telegraph on Thursday. The pillars of the elevated road would be constructed on the banks of the canal so that water flow is not affected by the elevated structure.

The Planning Commission has already approved a proposal for the construction of a two-lane road parallel to the canal to provide connectivity between south Patna and the Digha-Sonepur road-cum-rail bridge. Tender process for this road, with a cost component of Rs 529 crore, has been completed. Work is expected to begin in three months.

“As land acquisition for the expansion of this road (into four lanes) would have been a problem, the idea of construction of an elevated road over the canal was floated,” the NHAI officer said.

Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said that the proposed elevated road would ease the traffic on the stretch.

He said: “The new road would ease traffic pressure movement on the stretch.”