Work on the Patna-Bettiah four-lane expressway is steadily advancing, with around 15 per cent of construction completed on initial stretches.

The 163.68 km corridor, being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is expected to significantly cut travel time between Patna and Bettiah to roughly 2.5 hours from the current 6 hours once completed by 2027.

Construction is currently underway on the first two packages, covering the stretch from Bakarpur in Vaishali district to Manikpur in Muzaffarpur. Work on the remaining sections is progressing, while the final package has completed the bidding stage and is moving towards land acquisition.

The expressway will begin at Bakarpur and connect to Patna via the JP Setu, offering a more direct and efficient route. A large portion, around 145 km, will be developed as a greenfield corridor.

The four-lane expressway is being developed along the Bakarpur-Manikpur-Sahebganj-Areraj-Bettiah stretch of NH-139 (W), with nearly 145 km planned as a greenfield corridor.

The project is divided into three phases: the first covers a 38.81 km stretch from Bakarpur to Manikpur in Muzaffarpur, the second spans 44.65 km from Manikpur to Sahebganj, and the third will extend from Sahebganj to Bettiah.