Patna had once become synonymous with its poor and potholed roads which not only made commuters’ lives difficult but adversely affected state’s economy too. The roads in Patna were in shambles which is evident from the fact that distance used to be measured in hours and not in kilometers because of either potholed roads or poor road connectivity.
But things have changed ever since Nitish Kumar took over the reins of the state in November 2005 as his government completely revamped and metamorphosed the state especially the capital city with over half a dozen swanky roads, elevated roads, flyovers, overbridges worth Rs 9200 cro re inaugurated in the past four years.
Though, all these roads have been inaugurated after 2021 but the foundation stones for these projects were laid five to six years ago except for the JP Ganga Path project whose stone was laid 12 years ago. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s vision and his consistent and persistent hard work has made the capital city a better place to travel or drive vehicle, which not only Patnaites but every residents of Bihar could boast of.
The ambitious projects which are already operational in Patna included- 20.5 km long JP Ganga Path along the southern flank of river Ganges, 6.5 km long Atal Path stretching between R-Block to Digha, a multi-junction interchange project Lohia Path Chakra on Bailey Road, 2.2 km double decker flyover on Ashok Rajpath, 8.86 km Mithapur-Mahuli elevated road while the work on 21 km Danapur-Bihta elevated road and a 1.2 km road over Mandiri drain are currently underway.
Under Construction Projects
The 21 km long Danapur-Bihta four lane elevated road- aims to improve connectivity and reduce travel time between Patna, Ara, and Buxar besides giving a hassle free ride to the proposed Bihta International airport- is currently under construction. The road over Mandiri drain is also near completion and could be inaugurated in next few months.
Projects inaugurated & operational
Among the above prominent projects, Atal Path was the first to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in January 2021. The work on the project began in 2019. Later, the CM inaugurated the 7.5 km long first phase JP Ganga Path, popularly known as Marine drive, in June 2022 while its final phase inaugurated in April 2025. Its work began in Oct 2013. The first phase of Lohia Path Chakra built on Bailey road was inaugurated in October 2023. Its work began in February 2016.
CM Nitish Kumar dedicated two road projects to the public in June itself. On June 11, 2025, Kumar inaugurated the 2.2 km long double decker flyover from Kargil chowk near Gandhi Maidan to Science College. The construction work began in January 2022. Within a week on June 16, 2025, the CM inaugurated Mithapur-Mahuli elevated road. It was September 2020 when its work began.
Ganga Path has made travel easier and smooth especially criss-crossing Patna from Digha in east to Didarganj in west while Atal Path provides the people a joy ride from R-Block in southern part to Digha in north of the state capital.
Not only this, people traveling towards Patna College, NIT, Patna University Patna Science College had a harrowing time but with the construction of double decker flyover upto Science College from Gandhi Maidan gives a joy ride for daily commuters. People can reach Science College from Gandhi Maidan within 5-10 minutes now.
Similarly, Ganga Path- which is linked to Atal Path- has also got various entry and exit points such as LCT Ghat, AN Sinha Institute (near Gandhi Maidan), PMCH, Krishna Ghat, Gai Ghat, Kangan Ghat, and Patna Ghat. It has not only made driving easier and smooth but reaching Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) has become much easier for both city dwellers and people coming from north Bihar via JP Setu over Ganges to reach Patna especially for availing treatment at AIIMS, Patna.
Ganga Path has developed as a picnic zone where people along with family, friends and relatives thronged the spot in the evening especially on weekends to relax and enjoy. Taking note of rising number of people enjoying their evening on Ganga Path, the government decided to develop various amenities. These include a riverfront promenade, gardens, a butterfly park, food courts, an urban haat for women, walking and cycling tracks, and ample parking facilities.
