In order to build top-class rural road network, the Centre and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently signed a $200 million loan deal to finance the widening and upgrading of about 230 km of state highways in Bihar, claimed official sources, revealing that since 2008, ADB has provided four loans amounting to $1.43 billion to Bihar for upgrading about 1,453 km of state highways and constructing a new bridge over the Ganga river near Patna. Bihar State Highways III Project, approved by the ADB Board will also involve upgrading state highways to standard two-lane width with road safety features with paved shoulders including reconstructing, widening, and strengthening culverts and bridges. The project will also build institutional capacity of the state for road design and maintenance and incorporate appropriate new technologies in the state's road subsector.
