The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the upgradation of the 82.578-km Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of NH-22 to four-lane standard in Bihar.
The project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 3,590.73 crore.
The upgraded corridor will connect the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa with Muzaffarpur, where it links with NH-27, part of the East-West Corridor.
The project is expected to ease congestion in densely populated areas along the route, including Muzaffarpur, Muksudpur, Runni Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra, Bhutahi and Sonbarsa.
The four-lane corridor has been designed for a maximum speed of 100 kmph, with an average speed of 80 kmph. It will have no at-grade median openings to facilitate safer and faster movement of traffic.
According to the government, the project will improve the movement of passengers and freight, reduce travel time and enhance road safety, fuel efficiency and vehicle operating costs.
The project has been planned in accordance with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan and is aimed at strengthening multimodal connectivity with key economic, social and logistics nodes.
It will improve access to industrial areas and major railway stations and facilitate the movement of goods, including agricultural produce, across the region.
The upgraded corridor will also improve connectivity to the Buddhist Circuit and the historic Janaki Punaura Dham Temple in Sitamarhi, supporting tourism and pilgrimage-related travel.
The NH-22 stretch will strengthen linkages with existing corridors such as NH-31 and NH-122, connecting the region with industrial zones including Barauni and riverine logistics hubs along the Ganga.
It will also facilitate cross-border passenger and cargo movement through the nearby Land Port at Bhithamore.
The project includes provisions for seven major bridges, including a 340-metre-long bridge over the perennial Bagmati River, as well as three railway overbridges and two flyovers measuring 1,170 metres and 270 metres.
The government said the project will provide seamless connectivity to five PM GatiShakti economic nodes, comprising four industrial estates and one Mega Food Park.
It will also improve access to four social nodes, including Baba Garibnath Temple, Mata Janki Temple, Punaura Dham, and the Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi aspirational districts, as well as two logistics nodes — Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi railway stations.
