Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Aunta-Simaria bridge project on NH-31 tomorrow. This project is a total of 8.15 kilometers long and includes a 1.86 kilometer long six-lane bridge over the Ganges River, which has been prepared at a cost of over ₹1,870 crore.
Patna: The Aunta-Simaria Mahasetu project, which will give new impetus to connectivity and economic development in Bihar, is now ready. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this modern and massive 6-lane bridge on August 22. This bridge connects Aunta Ghat in Mokama and Simaria in Begusarai and is approximately 1.865 kilometers long over the Ganges River. The total length of the project, including the approach road, is 8.15 kilometers and a total of ₹1,871 crore has been spent on its construction.
This bridge has been built parallel to the old and dilapidated two-lane rail-cum-road bridge, Rajendra Setu. Rajendra Setu was inaugurated in 1959 and has since been the main connectivity route for North and South Bihar. Over time, the traffic pressure on this bridge had increased and heavy vehicles had to take a long detour. With the construction of the new Mahasetu, this burden will be greatly reduced.
Historic change in connectivity between North and South Bihar
With the construction of the new 6-lane Mahasetu, the travel distance of heavy vehicles moving between North Bihar (Begusarai, Supaul, Madhubani, Purnia, Araria) and South Bihar (Sheikhpura, Nawada, Lakhisarai) will be reduced by approximately 100 kilometers. This will also reduce the problem of traffic jams in these areas. According to experts, this bridge will not only empower the local economy, but will also benefit the industry and trade of Bihar.
Many districts of North Bihar, which were dependent on South Bihar and Jharkhand for raw materials, will now be able to speed up their raw material supply through this new connectivity. Prime Minister Modi wrote in a tweet about this project: The Aunta-Simaria bridge is a historic project that will bring about a revolutionary change in connectivity between North and South Bihar.
Important project for North Eastern states and the entire country
This 6-lane Mahasetu is important not only for Bihar but also for connecting the North Eastern states. The seamless movement of heavy vehicles, faster connectivity, and reduction in transportation costs will benefit the industry, trade, and logistics network of the entire region. This bridge is of particular importance on the routes connecting the North Eastern states to Bihar and other parts of India. Not only Begusarai and surrounding districts will benefit from this, but the entire trade and economic structure of Bihar and the country will be strengthened.
Due to the poor condition and limited capacity of the old Rajendra Setu, heavy vehicles had to take a long detour. This problem will be eliminated with the construction of the new 8.15 kilometer long 6-lane bridge. The construction of this bridge has been completed in approximately 10 years. Prime Minister Modi had announced a special package for Bihar in 2015, and this Mahasetu was constructed under this package. The Prime Minister laid its foundation stone in a program held in Mokama in 2017. Now this dream has come true.
4-lane road projects from Patna to Khagaria
Along with the inauguration of the Aunta-Simaria Mahasetu, the 4-lane road from Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama will also be inaugurated on August 22. This road is 44.60 kilometers long and ₹1,899 crore has been spent on its construction. Apart from this, the 4-lane road from Patna to Bakhtiyarpur has already been built, while the work of widening the road from Simaria to Khagaria has been completed.
Further work is also going on on the 4-lane road project from Khagaria to Purnia. These projects will bring about historic improvements in road and transport connectivity in Bihar.
