Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav inaugurates a training programme on bridge design and construction in Patna on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh
Bihar's first double-decker flyover will come up in Chhapra at a cost of Rs 411.31 crore. Construction would begin in the next fiscal and would be completed in three years, road construction department minister (RCD) Nand Kishore Yadav said on Monday.
Nand Kishore made the announcement on the sidelines of a daylong customised training programme on overview, bridge design and construction by the Central Road Research Institute.
The programme was organised by the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL). 'Bihar's first double-decker flyover will be constructed by (BRPNNL) at a cost of Rs 411.31 crore from the central road fund (CRF),' Nand Kishore said. 'The flyover would extend from Gandhi Chowk to Nagarpalika Chowk in Chhapra town of Saran district. The upper portion of the bridge would be 3.5 km long and the lower portion 3km.'
The RCD minister said the proposal has already been passed through the cabinet and the chief minister has given administrative approval.
On why the double-decker flyover was coming up in Chh-apra, Nand Kishore said: 'The road inside the town is very narrow and those going towards Gopalganj and Siwan always face a traffic congestion problem. This main road passes through the heart of town. As the road is not wide, it would be difficult to provide service lane. So it was decided to build a double-decker flyover instead.'
He also said that many houses would have to be demolished to make way for a flyover to accommodate vehicles moving in either direction on the stretch. Since this was not feasible, they decided to go for a double-decker flyover. People going from the Patna side would have to take the lower flyover and those coming from the other side would have to take the upper portion of the flyover.
The two lane flyover would be constructed on 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.
The agency that will execute the project has not yet been selected. The selection would be done through a proper bidding and tender process.
Nand Kishore said that the project was on an experimental basis and based on its experience another double-decker flyover could be considered in other districts if needed.
While addressing engineers during the training programme over design and construction of bridge, Nand Kishore said: 'Bridges in Bihar are considered vital links connecting the roadways. To ensure the bridges perform satisfactorily during their effective service life, it is very essential that they are properly designed and built complying to the desired technical specification.'