Patna-Purnia Expressway: Work Catches Pace As Land Acquisition Begins, Ministry Assigns Official Route Number To Corridor

Patna-Purnea Expressway: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has officially notified the Patna-Purnea Expressway and assigned it the designation NE-09. It will be India’s ninth expressway and the second in Bihar to receive an official number after the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway.

Proposal Moves to PPP Appraisal Committee

The funding plan for the project has now been sent to the PPP Appraisal Committee (chaired by the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs) under the Central government for financial approval.

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Once the PPP Committee clears the proposal, it will go to the Union Cabinet for final approval. Only after Cabinet sanction will global tenders be floated for construction.

Land Acquisition Still Underway in Six Districts

The 4-lane access-controlled expressway will pass through Vaishali, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhepura, and Purnea districts and requires 2,184 hectares of land in total.

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Patna-Purnea Expressway Progress So Far

- Vaishali: 355 hectares acquisition in the advanced stage

- Samastipur: Process moving forward

- Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhepura & Purnea: Work yet to gain momentum

The alignment for the expressway was approved on January 15 this year. Once completed, it will drastically cut travel time between Patna and Purnea and boost connectivity in north-eastern Bihar.