Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurates the Rupaspur-Bailey Road railway overbridge as road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav (extreme left) looks on, in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Aug. 16: The state got a gift from chief minister Nitish Kumar today in the form of a railway overbridge. Nitish threw open the 927m bridge to the public that is expected to ease traffic snarls on Bailey Road.

The 927m-long Rupaspur-Bailey Road railway overbridge built at an estimated cost of Rs 57 crore by East Central Railway (ECR) would help commuters, coming from Danapur and Bihta, to reach Patna. The railway track below the bridge is likely to be completed by December, which would connect Patliputra railway station with Phulwarisharif. K.K. Srivastava, the ECR general manager, said: “The construction started in March 2009. The state government would carry out the maintenance work of the bridge.” According to sources, the deadline of the project was July 31. The bridge is 21.5m wide and the height at the middle is 12m. Panchkula-based SP Singla Constructions Private Limited has constructed the bridge and the company is working on 19 more projects worth more than Rs 2,000 crore in the state.

Prominent schools such as Delhi Public School, Ishan International School, St Karen’s School and others are located in the area. Moreover, in the past few years, there has been a phenomenal growth on the stretch of Rupaspur-Bailey Road as many colonies and apartments have come up.

Manoj Kushwaha, an autorickshaw driver, said: “The overbridge would bring relief to commuters. Earlier, passing the stretch took around 15 minutes, now it will take only five.” According to sources, an overbridge connecting Budh Marg to Mithapur is likely to be inaugurated next month. The flyover would solve traffic congestion on Station Road.

The road construction department is also mulling to construct an overbridge from Sheikhpura Mor to Jadgeo Path Mor.