New Delhi/Patna: A new expressway project in Bihar is set to change the way people and goods move across the state. The Gaya-Darbhanga corridor is expected to cut travel times between several major cities and connect Bihar more directly with Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Construction of Gaya-Darbhanga Expressway Underway
The Gaya-Darbhanga Expressway, also referred to as the Amas-Darbhanga Expressway or NH-119D, is currently under construction. This 170-kilometer highway is designed as a four-lane, access-controlled route. It is part of Phase 1 of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, a significant initiative aimed at enhancing road connectivity across India.
The road network will also shorten journeys from Varanasi. From there, it will pass through Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Gaya in Bihar. In West Bengal, the corridor will pass through Purulia, Bankura, Hooghly and Howrah before reaching Uluberia near Kolkata. With these roads and connections in place, Bihar is set to get a highway network connecting its major cities, tourism centres, agricultural markets and industrial routes with major corridors leading to Delhi, Kolkata, Ranchi, Varanasi and the Nepal border.
Varanasi to Darbhanga could take five to six hours instead of 10 to 12 hours. The Jharkhand section will cover Chatra, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh and Bokaro over around 187 km.
Travel from the city to Gaya, which earlier took five to six hours, could come down to two to two-and-a-half hours.
The main route will pass through Aurangabad, Gaya, Jehanabad, Patna, Vaishali, Samastipur and Darbhanga. Separate link roads will connect the expressway with Bodh Gaya and Rajgir. The four-lane road can later be upgraded to six lanes. Its route will connect southern and northern Bihar and provide a faster road network for transport, logistics and industrial activity. The journey between Amas and Darbhanga takes around six to seven hours. The expressway is expected to bring it down to about three to four hours. The shorter travel time will also benefit Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Patna and Vaishali, which are important destinations on Buddhist and Jain tourism circuits. Better road access could make travel easier for visitors coming from different parts of India and abroad. The road will also help move products from north Bihar, including makhana (fox nuts) and litchi, towards southern Bihar and the Delhi-Kolkata corridor. The improved connectivity can make it easier for these goods to reach major markets and ports. The expressway network will connect Bihar with routes leading towards Delhi and Kolkata. Once the Amas-Darbhanga Expressway connects with the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway and the Purvanchal Expressway, several long-distance journeys are expected to become considerably shorter. The proposed travel times show the scale of the change. The Amas-Darbhanga and Varanasi-Kolkata routes are also expected to cut the road journey to Ranchi to around five to six hours. A northern extension towards the Nepal border at Jaynagar has also been proposed, which could support trade between India and Nepal. The project is being supported by major road infrastructure around Patna. A new bridge across the Ganga, the Kacchi Dargah-Bidupur bridge, is under construction. The network is planned to allow vehicles travelling through the region to bypass crowded urban areas such as Patna, Jehanabad and Gaya. Traffic could move through the Outer Ring Road and reach different parts of the state without entering busy city centres. The Bihar government has also prepared a proposal to connect Bodh Gaya and Rajgir through link roads from the expressway. The proposal has been sent to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for approval. Under the plan, Patna would serve as a starting point for a network connecting Gaya, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya. The Amas-Darbhanga Expressway would connect with these destinations through dedicated links, while the network would also connect with the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is expected to handle construction of the expressway and link roads connecting major tourist destinations. The Amas-Darbhanga Expressway will connect with the six-lane greenfield Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway, also known as the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway or NH-319B. The larger corridor will create a high-speed road link across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. In Bihar, the expressway will pass through Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Gaya. A change in the alignment has been proposed in the hilly area near Sasaram, including a tunnel. In Uttar Pradesh, the route will connect the Varanasi Ring Road with Barhuli village in Chandauli district.
With its link routes, the total length will be around 230 km. The road starts near Amas on the Aurangabad-Gaya border and will connect with NH-19, the Delhi-Kolkata corridor. Its northern end will reach Bela Nawada in Darbhanga, connecting with NH-27, part of the East-West Corridor. Estimated to cost around Rs 5,000 crore, the project will be Bihar’s first greenfield access-controlled expressway. Darbhanga to Delhi, which takes 18 to 22 hours, could come down to around 10 to 12 hours through the Amas-Darbhanga, Purvanchal and Yamuna expressways. Patna to Delhi could take around nine to 10 hours instead of 16 to 18 hours through the Patna-Buxar, Purvanchal and Yamuna routes. Darbhanga to Kolkata could take seven to eight hours instead of 14 to 16 hours, using the Amas-Darbhanga and Varanasi-Kolkata expressways. The journey from Amas near Gaya to Kolkata could take five to six hours instead of 10 to 12 hours. The 9.75-km six-lane bridge will help traffic cross the river near Patna and connect with the city’s Outer Ring Road. The proposal is part of a larger Rs 35,000-crore infrastructure plan aimed at improving connectivity to the state’s major tourism and religious destinations. The proposed change could shorten the expressway by around 15 km and provide a more direct connection to Gaya and Rajgir. The overall Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway project will cover around 610 km, with nearly 170 km running through Bihar.
