A senior official from the state's Road Construction Department (RCD) told the media that a nine km stretch of NH-82, connecting Gaya to Biharsharif through reserve forest and historical places would be developed as a four-lane elevated road. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MooRTH) has approved the RCD for aligning the elevated bypass on the existing two-lane road from Vanganga to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) office. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that it would ensure seamless traffic on the bypass road without affecting the city's charm. From the funds of MoRTH, RCD is building the Gaya-Biharsharif national highway as a four-lane road. The construction work between the Vangamga and SDM office was left unchecked, which may take a toll on archaeological attractions such as Chariot Wheel Mark, Maniyar Math, Bimbisara Jail, Cyclopean Wall, etc. Chief Secretary of RCD, Amrit Lal Meena, said that the pre-construction activities, such as clearing the forest and utilities shifting would start as MoRTH has approved alignment. He further said that the 8.7 km elevated road would be made in a cable-style in addition to a 4 km four-lane at-grade road. The overall cost of the project is nearly Rs 1,300 crore. The central government has given Rs 2,000 crore for the national highway from Gaya to Biharsharif. According to an official, out of the total cost, Rs 900 crore has been spent on land acquisition, adding the elevated road, the project cost would increase to Rs 3,200 crore. The road portion of the national highway would be finished by March 2022. The corridor would pass through 10 historical monuments and an area of the reserved forest, hence giving a scenic view to the commuters. This road is crucial as it connects Rajgir with other cities such as Patna, Jamshedpur, Nawada, Kolkata, and Koderma. The chief minister itself visited the spot twice to suggest the alignment of the elevated road, an engineer with RCD said. Image Source Also read: Chennai’s Port-Maduravoyal expressway to cost over Rs 5,000 cr