NHAI

The National Highways Authority of India has put together a fresh cost projection for the Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway, now pegged at roughly Rs. 730 bn.

Before this plan can move toward Cabinet discussion, NHAI intends to forward the updated numbers to the panel that reviews public-private partnership projects, a body that has not yet signed off on the scheme.

The expressway is expected to stretch about 568 km in total, with around 417 km of that running through Bihar, touching districts such as West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj.

Out of the overall Rs. 730 bn figure, construction work alone is pegged at close to Rs. 450 bn, while the rest is set aside for buying land and covering other groundwork needed before building can start.

The highway is being structured as a public-private partnership, meaning a private company would be brought in to help build and later run the road for a set period.

The government has already slotted this expressway into its list of projects for the 2026-27 annual plan, and land acquisition in Bihar is underway even though no firm construction timeline exists yet.

Bihar's state government has pushed for a six-lane highway rather than the four-lane version currently on the table, but that request has not been taken up so far, so the four-lane design remains the working plan.

Once the appraisal panel reviews and clears the project, it would then go before the Union Cabinet for further consideration.

How the project's final size, financing arrangement and construction schedule shape up will depend on that review process and on decisions still to be taken by the government.