New highway project to link Patna, Arrah, Sasaram: the plan, who it will help

HAM is a public private partnership model where the government funds 40% of the project cost during construction, while the private developer covers the remaining 60%. After completion, the developer maintains the road for a fixed period (usually 15 years), receiving annuity payments from the government to recover investment, along with interest. This model reduces financial risk for private players while ensuring government control over the asset.

For this corridor, the total capital cost is Rs 3,712.40 crore, with Rs 2,989.08 crore for civil construction and Rs 718.97 crore for land acquisition.

What are greenfield and brownfield corridors?

In highway projects, “greenfield” refers to a completely new road built on undeveloped land, often bypassing crowded areas to create a fresh route. “Brownfield,” on the other hand, involves upgrading an existing road — like widening or strengthening it — to meet modern needs.

The Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor is an access-controlled highway project connecting the state capital Patna to the towns of Arrah and Sasaram. It will have a new 109.5-km greenfield stretch, while the brownfield section will see upgradation of 10.6 km of the existing highway.

It will be made in two packages, with the first package of 74.43-km greenfield stretch from Sasaram to Arrah to be completed in 24 months. Meanwhile, package 2 will see construction of a 45.67 km greenfield stretch plus 10.6 km of brownfield upgrades from Arrah to Patna, taking 30 months. The project will also include construction of a 3-km long, 4-lane bridge over the river Son.

Why is this project needed?

Bihar’s existing road networks between Patna, Arrah, and Sasaram rely on congested state highways like SH-2, SH-12, SH-81, and SH-102, which are overwhelmed due to the heavy traffic and need 3-4 hours of travel time. Towns like Arrah, Grahini, Piro, Bikramganj, Mokar, and Sasaram are causing bottlenecks that often slow down movement.

How will it help?

The new four-lane Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor is aimed at decongesting these routes and providing a faster, smoother alternative to an estimated Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of 17,000-20,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) in financial year 2025.

The project on completion will also boost connectivity between Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, and Varanasi. The Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor will also be integrated to other major transport corridors like NH-19, NH-319, NH-922, NH-131G, NH-120, which will provide seamless connectivity to Patna, Kaimur and Aurangabad.

The corridor will streamline tourist movement by providing access to two airports (Patna’s Jay Prakash Narayan International and the upcoming Bihta airport), four railway stations (Sasaram, Arrah, Danapur, Patna), one inland water terminal in Patna, and the Patna Ring Road.

Beyond traffic and connectivity relief, the Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor is also expected to create 48 lakh man-days of employment — 22 lakh direct and 26 lakh indirect — supporting local livelihoods in the region.