Saran to beat Mumbai marvel

Patna: Chhapra will get India’s longest double-decker flyover – spanning 4km – which will beat the 1.8km Santacruz-Chembur Link Road in Mumbai.

The construction of the Chhapra flyover is expected to start this month in Saran, around 62km northwest od Patna. The 4km flyover, which will be 5.5m wide, will be built for Rs 441 crore of which Rs 240 crore will be borne by the Centre. The flyover work is to be be completed in three years.

The flyover will cross through at least six of the busiest and narrowest markets in Saran town, saving commuting time.

“The flyover, proposed to start from Bhikhari Thakur Chowk, will cross Gandhi Chowk, Mouna Chowk, Salempur, Rajendra Chowk, Sri Nandan Path and bus stand before ending at the main road zila school,” said an official in the state road construction department.

An estimated 2.5 lakh vehicles ply on the narrow stretch every day, triggering frequent snarls, particularly at night when trucks and heavy vehicles enter the town.

The road construction department had sent the Centre a proposal for the double decker flyover last year after Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari hinted at it during his visit to Chhapra in October 2016.

The Bihar cabinet passed the proposal on September 13 last year, with chief minister Nitish Kumar giving the project his administrative approval.

The flyover’s tender has been issued and the agency which will construct the flyover also selected. The agency was earlier involved in constructing the Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences at Pawapuri in Nalanda.

On why the double-decker flyover was coming up in Chhapra, the road construction official said: “The road in the town is very narrow and commuters going towards Gopalganj and Siwan always face traffic congestion. This main road passes through the heart of town, but as it is not wide, it is difficult to provide a service lane.

“So it was decided to build a double-decker flyover instead.”

He also said many houses would have had to be demolished to make way for a single flyover. Since that was not feasible, the Bihar government decided to go for a double-decker flyover.

People going from the Patna side would take the lower deck and those from the other side will take the upper deck of the flyover.

The two-lane flyover will be constructed in engineering procurement construction mode where funds are provided by the government and the agency that takes up the work.

Besides the double-decker flyover, a proposal for road overbridges for an estimated Rs150 crore has also been sent to the Centre.

The overbridges are proposed over level crossing no. 32 on Chhapra-Sonepur section, level crossing 7 at Paterhi and level crossing 34 at Shyam Koria (on Chhapra-Mashrakh section), the official said.

Courtesy: The Telegraph