Strategic NH‑22 Stretch in Bihar Receives Green Light, Aims to Ease Traffic

New Delhi, August 19 – The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved a Rs 3,591 crore upgrade of the NH‑22 segment that runs through Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Sonbarsa in Bihar. The 82.578‑km corridor will be widened to four lanes, creating a high‑speed link that connects heavily populated areas and improves access to border regions near Nepal.

The project promises to cut travel time, de‑congest existing routes and boost the movement of goods and people. Key features include seven major bridges – among them a 340‑metre crossing over the Bagmati River – three railway over‑bridges and two fly‑overs, all designed to keep traffic flowing without interruption.

Built for a design speed of 100 km/h and an average operating speed of 80 km/h, the highway will exclude at‑grade median openings, enhancing safety. It will also tie together industrial zones such as Barwani, river‑linked logistics centres, and the Bithamore land port, thereby strengthening cross‑border freight corridors.

In the same Cabinet session, five large‑scale infrastructure schemes amounting to Rs 13,000 crore were approved, together with four multi‑track railway projects worth Rs 9,450 crore, slated for completion by 2030‑31. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized that the railway upgrades will add about 410 km of capacity, facilitating smoother train operations on busy corridors.