The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has moved forward with the construction of a 78.94 km long four-lane greenfield highway from Sahebganj to Bettiah via Areraj in Bihar. Bids for the project were invited in July 2025 under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
The highway forms an important stretch of National Highway 139W and has been divided into two sections: the 38.362 km Sahebganj–Areraj section and the 40.580 km Areraj–Bettiah section. The project will be developed on a design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) annuity basis.
NHAI has received four bids for the project from Ceigall Infra Projects, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon, GR Infraprojects and PNC Infratech. The initial estimated project cost at the bidding stage was ₹1,981.72 crore.
Once completed, the highway is expected to significantly improve connectivity in East Champaran and West Champaran districts, while also providing faster access between Patna and Bettiah. The corridor will connect multiple districts of North Bihar including Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran and West Champaran, extending connectivity up to areas along the Indo-Nepal border. The improved road network is expected to support long-distance freight movement, reduce logistics costs and improve access to agricultural and industrial zones.
The project has been planned to integrate seven PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, six social nodes and eight logistics nodes, while also improving access to nine major tourism and religious destinations. These include prominent heritage and Buddhist sites such as the Kesariya Buddha Stupa at Sahebganj, Someshwarnath Mandir at Areraj, Jain Mandir and Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Vaishali, and the Mahavir Temple in Patna. The improved connectivity is expected to strengthen Bihar’s Buddhist circuit and enhance its international tourism potential.
NH-139W is being developed as a high-speed corridor to serve as an alternative to existing congested and geometrically deficient routes that pass through built-up areas. The highway will provide seamless connectivity to major national highways including NH-31, NH-722, NH-727, NH-27 and NH-227A.
The greenfield alignment has been designed for a speed of 100 km per hour, with an expected operating speed of around 80 km per hour. This is projected to reduce travel time between Sahebganj and Bettiah from the current 2.5 hours to about one hour, offering safer, faster and uninterrupted travel for both passenger and freight vehicles.
On 24 September 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the construction of the four-lane Sahebganj–Areraj–Bettiah section of NH-139W under the Hybrid Annuity Mode. The Cabinet approval revised the total project length to 78.942 km with a total capital cost of ₹3,822.31 crore, marking a major investment in Bihar’s road infrastructure and regional development.
