Patna, Bihar continues to trail the rest of India in the development of high-capacity highways and urban roads, according to the latest data released by the state’s Road Construction Department. Only 28 per cent of the state’s national highways and a mere 7 per cent of all urban roads meet the four-lane or wider standard regarded as essential for efficient heavy traffic and future economic growth.
The state currently has 6,389 km of national highways under its jurisdiction. Of this:
– 406 km remain single-lane (3.75 metres wide)
– 3,215 km are two-lane (7 metres)
– 1,816 km have reached four-lane or higher standard (28.4 per cent)
State highways and major district roads fare even worse. Of the 3,617 km of state highways, only 40 km (1.1 per cent) are four-laned, while just 116 km (0.7 per cent) of the 16,784 km of major district roads meet the same threshold.
Across Bihar’s entire urban road network – totalling 26,791 km – a scant 1,973 km, or 7 per cent, are four-lane or wider. More than half the urban network (13,275 km) remains either single-lane or intermediate-lane, creating chronic bottlenecks in the state’s larger towns and cities.
On a per-capita basis the disparity is stark. India’s national average stands at 10.9 km of national highway per 100,000 inhabitants; Bihar manages only 4.54 km – less than half the national figure. Officials point out that the state’s NH network has nevertheless grown substantially, from 3,600 km in 2005 to the current 6,389 km, yet the pace of widening has failed to keep up with traffic demand.
The implications for logistics and industrial investment are considerable. Narrow highways and congested urban arteries increase transport costs, lengthen delivery times and deter large-scale manufacturing projects – factors repeatedly cited by industry bodies as impediments to doing business in Bihar.
Successive central and state governments have announced ambitious highway expansion programmes, yet land acquisition delays, contractor disputes and funding constraints continue to slow execution. With Bihar’s economy heavily dependent on agriculture and an expanding services sector, the absence of modern road infrastructure remains one of the state’s most binding constraints to faster growth.
As India targets a $5 trillion economy and pushes for seamless multi-modal connectivity under the Bharatmala and Gati Shakti initiatives, Bihar’s road deficit serves as a reminder that aggregate national figures can mask significant regional imbalances.
