Bihar Gets First National Expressway, Patna to Purnia in 3 Hours
A long-awaited transport project is taking shape in Bihar, with the state set to receive its first national expressway. The Patna-Purnia Expressway, numbered NE-9, is estimated to cost around Rs 31,987 crore. Construction will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 20.
The route covers about 245 kilometres as a four-lane greenfield road, with space to be widened to six lanes later. Vehicles will be designed to travel at 120 km per hour. Once the road is ready, the Patna to Purnia trip is expected to be completed in about three hours, compared with the seven to eight and a half hours required by road today.
For the state, the project is historic because it is the first greenfield national expressway to be constructed wholly inside Bihar.
Route Overview
The expressway begins on NH-22 at Mirnagar Areji in Vaishali district, near Hajipur. It continues through Narharpur, Harlochanpur, Bajidpur, Saraunja, Rasna, Porora and Fatehpur, and finally joins NH-27, the East-West Corridor, at Hansdaha in Purnia district. The total length is set at 244.96 km. Its link with the Patna Ring Road will help travelers headed to Purnia and Kishanganj as well as people in the capital.
The Hajipur-Purnia greenfield road was notified as National Highway NE-9 on July 29, 2025. Land acquisition notices were released earlier, in March 2025.
Investment Structure
The road's civil construction is pegged at Rs 12,052 crore. The Hybrid Annuity Model will apply here, with the government funding 40 per cent and the construction agency investing 60 per cent. The agency will recover its money through tolls.
Work is divided into three packages. The first covers 84.500 km between Mirnagar Areji and Bhirha at Rs 10,083.96 crore. The second covers 51.835 km between Bhirha and Saraunja at Rs 8,564.82 crore and includes a 7.020 km six-lane bridge across the Kosi between Kusheshwarsthan and Simri Bakhtiyarpur. The third covers 108.625 km between Saraunja and Hansdaha at Rs 13,338.32 crore.
Land Requirements
Land is being acquired in 29 blocks across six districts, and more than 250 villages have been identified. Vaishali has six blocks, Samastipur eight, Saharsa five, Purnia six, Darbhanga two and Madhepura two.
In total, 2,236.003 hectares is needed. This includes 53.091 hectares of forest land, 37.18 hectares of government land and 2,117.218 hectares of private land. Acquisition is being carried out under the National Highways Act, 1956, and compensation will follow prescribed rules and valuation norms.
Engineering Scope
The project features 21 major bridges, 140 minor bridges, 11 railway overbridges, 21 interchanges and 322 underpasses. Bridges will cross 20 rivers and streams, including the Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Bayaa, Kareha and Libri Dhar.
Spurs for District Headquarters
Separate spur roads will connect Samastipur, Saharsa and Madhepura district headquarters to the main corridor, so residents will avoid lengthy diversions. The expressway will also reach 18 cities and towns and connect with nine national highways, eight state highways and five airports in Bihar.
Growth for Kosi and Seemanchal
The expressway is expected to help farmers in Purnia, Saharsa and Madhepura move produce to larger markets, while supporting agro-processing, trade, logistics and investment. Currently, travel between Patna and Purnia takes eight to eight and a half hours via Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Supaul, or about seven hours via Bakhtiyarpur, Mokama, Khagaria and Katihar. Once open, the expressway will bring that down to roughly three hours, saving time and fuel for commuters.