Bihar fast tracks $500-mn bridge project

The state government in Bihar has fast-tracked the construction of the ADB financed 9.8 km-long road-bridge across the Ganga River on the outskirts of Patna, to connect North and South Bihar. For the project, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India already inked a $ 500-million loan agreement to build the road bridge project. The new bridge, which will be built 10 km downstream and east of the capital city, after commissioning, it will become India's longest river-bridge with a length of almost 10 km, Operations Communications Specialist, South Asia Regional Department, ADB, Saleha Waseem said. Earlier, the Bank authorities had said that the new Ganga Bridge will span both channels of the river and serve as an alternate route to the existing Ganga Bridge. The six-lane bridge will allow better traffic distribution on the international and regional trade corridors connecting the eastern, northern, and north-eastern states of India with Nepal.