Patna: Bihar’s infrastructure network is set for a major upgrade as the Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-lane bridge over the Ganga river has been completed and is awaiting final inauguration, officials said Saturday.Built at an estimated cost of Rs4,988 crore, the project is among the state’s most ambitious road initiatives and is expected to reshape connectivity across many districts, including Patna. The bridge has been engineered as an extra-dosed cable-stayed structure, a design that road construction department officials described as a landmark example of modern engineering in the state.The main bridge stretches 9.76km and stands on 67 massive pillars. With approach roads included, the project’s total length is 19.30km, making it one of the longest structures of its kind in the country.RCD secretary Pankaj Kumar Pal said the bridge is not merely a construction using stone and concrete but a symbol of a changing and progressive Bihar. He said it would ease the movement of commercial vehicles, strengthen local trade and improve the transport of agricultural produce from rural markets to larger consumption centres.Pal said the project would also help reduce severe traffic congestion in Patna and improve the capital’s links with major districts across Bihar. He described it as a milestone in the creation of modern Bihar.A section of the bridge between Patna and Raghopur in Vaishali district was inaugurated in June 2025 by then chief minister Nitish Kumar. Officials said the six-lane corridor is now ready up to Bidupur.After final handover, the bridge will join Mahatma Gandhi Setu and JP Ganga Setu, giving the Patna metropolitan region three major Ganga crossings to support economic growth.Designed to bridge the divide between north and south Bihar, the project will give Patna shorter, high-speed access to northern districts and create a continuous corridor for commercial and farm transport.
