Patna: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the upgradation of the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of NH-22 in Bihar to four-lane standard.The 82.578-km project will be taken up on Hybrid Annuity Mode at a total capital cost of Rs3,590.73 crore, an official said. The Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) said the corridor is strategically and economically important as it links the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa with economic centres such as Muzaffarpur on NH-27, the East-West Corridor.According to MoRTH, the project will reduce congestion in densely populated stretches and settlements, including Muzaffarpur, Muksudpur, Runni Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra, Bhutahi and Sonbarsa, in north Bihar. It is expected to ensure faster and safer passenger and freight movement, improve travel efficiency and strengthen regional connectivity. The highway has been designed for a speed of 100 kmph, with an average operating speed of 80 kmph and no at-grade median openings for safer high-speed travel.Planned under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the project aims to improve multimodal integration by connecting economic, social and logistics nodes, industrial areas and major railway stations. The ministry said better connectivity would support efficient movement of goods and agricultural supply chains, promote regional economic growth and improve access to cultural and religious destinations such as the Buddhist Circuit and the historic Janaki Punaura Dham Temple in Sitamarhi.The upgraded NH-22 stretch will also provide seamless linkage to the national freight grid and complement existing corridors such as NH-31 and NH-122, enhancing access to industrial zones including Barauni and riverine logistics hubs along the Ganga. It will further improve cross-border passenger and cargo movement through the nearby land port at Bhithamore.The project includes seven major bridges, including a 340-metre bridge over the perennial Bagmati river, three railway overbridges and two flyovers of 1,170 metres and 270 metres to maintain cross traffic movement and support safe uninterrupted travel. Officials said the works would raise average speeds, cut travel time and improve road safety, fuel efficiency and vehicle operating costs.MoRTH said the corridor will connect five PM GatiShakti economic nodes, comprising four industrial estates and one mega food park. It will also serve four social nodes—Baba Garibnath Temple, Mata Janki Temple, Punaura Dham, and Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi aspirational districts—and two logistics nodes, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi railway stations, enabling overall smoother movement across Bihar.
