Loknayak Ganga Path


Loknayak Ganga Path also Ganga Path or Ganga Driveway is a planned expressway across the river Ganges in Patna, Bihar, India. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. It is being jointly constructed by Housing and Urban Development Corporation and the Government of Bihar.

History

It was approved in August 2007 and the ground breaking ceremony was held on 11 October 2013 by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar.

The Expressway

It is a road built between Digha and Deedarganj in Patna at a cost of Rs.2234.46 crores. The second phase extends the road by 18 km to Fatuha.
Ganga Path project which has been in pipeline for many years, dubbed as the Marine Drive of Patna, the Ganga Path or Ganga Expressway will connect Digha to Kacchi Dargah along the river Ganges. The tender for the same is likely to be issued by the second week of May by Bihar State Road Development Corporation and the contract will be finalized by June.

Cost

The total cost involved in this mega project is 5600 crore, having time interval for its completion to be four years. After the private investors failed to appear on the horizon, the State government itself decided to go ahead with the project. The Cabinet has given approval to take loan of 2000 crore from Housing and Urban Development Corporation and the rest amount of 1,160 crore is to be raised through the State resources. HUDCO has agreed to provide the loan at a floating interest rate of 10.75%, to be returned in 16 years after completion of the project. Out of total budget, a sum of 2,770 crore will be spent on the construction of road and elevation work and 390 crore on land acquisition and utility shifting.

Decongest Patna

The expressway will ensure a smooth flow of traffic between east to west Patna, and also ease the traffic congestion at Ashok Rajpath. There will be nine points on the expressway connected to Ashok Rajpath. It will be a toll road. The much anticipated project will give breath to the heavily congested roads of east to west Patna. It will not only give a beautiful riverfront but will also give boost to the economic activities of the area.

Features at a glance

It is planned as 4.5 km long riverfront along Ganges. 20 ghats were to be developed along a 2.3-km promenade with four cultural centres on the stretch of Patna riverfront. 4.5-metre wide esplanade has to stretch from Collectorate Ghat to Adalat Ghat, Adalat Ghat to Gandhi Ghat, Gandhi Ghat to Rani Ghat and — after a gap of few ghats — Bhadra Ghat to Nauzar Ghat. This project is part of National Ganga River Basin Authority.
14 ghats have been completed till August 2017.