Patna: The city is set to get another major road link, with the Mithapur-Mahuli Elevated Corridor expected to be inaugurated by the end of this month. Construction of the Mithapur-Sipara stretch has been completed. With eight elevated roads and flyovers already operational, the new four-lane corridor is expected to provide faster connectivity to southern and eastern parts of Patna.The corridor has been developed in two phases. Phase-I comprises an 8.86-km, four-lane elevated stretch from the Mithapur education hub area to Ramgovind Singh Mahuli Halt. It was inaugurated earlier at a cost of Rs1,030.59 crore. Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL) is the nodal agency for the project.Phase-II covers the Mithapur-Sipara-Mahuli-Punpun stretch along the eastern side of the railway line. The 2.1-km four-lane elevated road between Mithapur and Sipara is ready and includes a two-way rail overbridge at Sipara. Another 2.20-km elevated stretch has been constructed between Mahuli Halt and Punpun Laxman Jhula.The entire Mithapur-Sipara-Mahuli-Punpun corridor spans 11.67 km and has been built at a cost of Rs1,467.72 crore. Near Sipara, the elevated road passes over the national highway.Once operational, the travel time between Sipara and Mahuli is expected to come down to around 15 minutes.BSRDCL chief general manager Bablu Kumar said the Mithapur-Sipara construction has been completed. “In a day or two, the secretary of the road construction department would meet chief minister Samrat Choudhary to seek his time for the inauguration,” he said.BSRDCL officials said the corridor would substantially reduce travel time. The journey from Patna Junction to Punpun is expected to take around 10-15 minutes, while the Patna-Gaya journey could be reduced to about 1.5 hours from the current two hours. The corridor will also provide improved connectivity towards Jehanabad, Gaya, Aurangabad and other parts of south Bihar, potentially easing congestion on city roads.A speed limit of 60 kmph has been fixed for cars and two-wheelers on the carriageways. The corridor incorporates several modern features, including Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC), which, according to officials, has been used for the first time in Bihar and enables spans of up to 64 metres.The alignment runs parallel to the railway track and features high guard rails, sound barriers, street lighting, expansion joints and road markings. Officials said most finishing work has been completed.
