The Ministry of Railways has approved the construction of 223 railway overbridges (ROBs) across Bihar in a move aimed at decongesting roads and improving traffic flow at railway crossings. The ROBs are proposed at locations where railway gates currently interrupt vehicular movement on state roads.
The decision follows repeated requests by the Bihar government and is aligned with its goal of ensuring road connectivity to Patna from any location within the state in under 3 hours and 30 minutes by the end of 2027.
A meeting to review progress on the initiative was held on June 12 between Bihar’s Additional Chief Secretary (Road Construction Department) Mihir Kumar Singh and Railway Board Member (Infrastructure) Naveen Gulati. Senior officials of East Central Railway, including General Manager Chhatrasal Singh, also attended.
According to officials, the Railway Board has approved the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 12 ROBs and RUBs (Road Under Bridges). The approved sites include:
- Saharsa: Gate No. 104B1 (Saharsa Jn–Baijnathpur)
- Chapra: Gate No. 47spl (Chhapra Jn–Chhapra Kachahari)
- Sitamarhi: Gate No. 55C/3 (Sitamarhi–Dumra)
- Gaya: Gate Nos. 39/C/T and 8/C (Paharpur–Gurpa and Paraiya–Guraru)
- Lakhisarai: Gate Nos. 24/A/E and 27/B/T (Abhaypur–Masudan and Kajra–Abhaypur)
- Jamui: Gate No. 36 (Jhajha–Simultala)
- Munger: Gate No. 17/A/E (Jamalpur–Dashrathpur)
- Aurangabad: Gate Nos. 28/B and 23/C/T (Fesar–Baghoi Kusa and Jakhim–Baghoi Kusa)
- Muzaffarpur: Gate No. 123 (Motipur–Mehshi)
In addition to these, DPRs for 48 more ROBs have been completed and are pending clearance, expected between June and July. Proposals for 112 additional locations are currently under preparation.
Between March and May this year, the Bihar Road Construction Department ran a focused campaign to secure No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Railways for all 223 targeted locations. NOCs were also issued for 236 out of 259 level crossings located on roads managed by other departments, including the Rural Works Department.
