PATNA, May 18 -- The much-awaited six-lane bridge over the river Ganga, connecting Kachhi Dargah in Patna and Bidupur in Vaishali, is likely to be opened for traffic later next month or early July. Chief minister Samrat Choudhary is expected to inaugurate the remaining stretch, from Raghopur diara to Bidupur, marking a major milestone in the state's bid to better connectivity between north and south Bihar regions. Road construction department (RCD) minister Kumar Shailendra said work was going on full-swing to open the residual part of the bridge. "The 19.76-km project, which includes a 9.76-km main bridge over the river and about 10 km of approach roads, will link Kachhi Dargah on NH-30 in Patna directly to Bidupur on NH-103 in Vaishali district. Once open, it promises to slash travel times to Vaishali, Samastipur, Darbhanga and beyond while serving as a critical eastern bypass for the capital," added the minister. With its opening, Patna will have three major road bridges operational over the Ganga for everyday traffic. Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Ganga Setu), JP Ganga Setu (parallel or nearby alignments) and now this state-of-the-art Kachhi Dargah-Bidupur structure. This addition is expected to dramatically reduce the crushing daily load on the older Gandhi Setu, which has shouldered most north-south traffic for decades. Work on the greenfield six-lane bridge had begun in August 2015 after then CM Nitish Kumar laid its foundation stone. However, the actual construction was kicked off in early 2017. Original targets aimed for completion around 2020-2021, but the project missed several deadlines - first pushed to January 2021, then December 2024 and later September 2025. A senior BSRDC officer, speaking on anonymity, attributed the delays to a familiar mix of challenges: "Land acquisition took longer than expected in the diara areas, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labour and supplies for nearly two years and the unpredictable floods and silt in the Ganga added their own complications. We had to keep adjusting for the river's shifting behaviour." He noted that the joint venture team worked through these hurdles with persistent engineering solutions. The total project cost stands at approximately Rs.4,988 crore. It is being executed by a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and South Korea's Daewoo Engineering & Construction, with the design handled by the Korean firm. Funding support came partly through the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This is no ordinary crossing. It ranks as India's longest extradosed cable-stayed bridge over a river - a hybrid design combining elements of cable-stayed and girder bridges for efficiency, strength, and aesthetics. The structure features 65 spans, many stretching 150 metres to allow clear passage for cargo vessels navigating the Ganga between Kolkata and Varanasi. The deck sits roughly 22 metres above normal water levels, providing a safe 12-13 metre clearance even during severe monsoons. Cables (15.2 mm, imported from South Korea) and advanced well foundations - dozens sunk deep into the riverbed - were engineered to handle the Ganga's notoriously unstable alluvial soil and seasonal fury. The bridge's 32-metre width supports six lanes with provision for high speeds up to 100 kmph. Its significance goes beyond moving vehicles. For residents of Raghopur diara and surrounding flood-prone pockets, year-round road access replaces dangerous ferry rides during the monsoon. Farmers, traders and students will have easy access to the capital city's markets, medical facilities and educational institutions. Officials envision industrial parks, IT hubs, and tourism growth in the newly accessible areas, potentially transforming local economies. The same BSRDC officer highlighted the broader vision: "This isn't just another bridge. It's part of a larger strategy to ring Patna with better connectivity and open up the diara regions that were cut off for too long. Once fully integrated with the Patna Ring Road and other corridors, it will change how people and goods move across Bihar." Construction teams recently launched the final segment on the Vaishali side, triggering the countdown to full traffic flow by the end of May or early June. Black-topping and finishing works are in the home stretch. For a state long defined by the Ganga's divide, bridges like this one are quietly rewriting the map - one span, one connection at a time. When traffic finally rolls across the full length next month, it won't just ease a bottleneck; it will open new possibilities for thousands who have waited years for reliable passage....