PATNA, June 13 -- In a major development that promises to transform urban mobility and regional connectivity in Bihar's capital, the Central government has approved the eighth and final phase alignment of the ambitious Patna ring road project, said a senior officer of the road construction department (RCD) on Friday. The ring road around Patna is being built on a 150-kilometre-long stretch as an access-controlled corridor, estimated to cost around Rs.16,000 crore. "The works on the project was started about two decades ago and is now on track for completion, potentially reshaping Patna on the lines of Delhi-NCR," RCD minister Kumar Shailendra told HT. The project, first conceptualized around 2005, aims to create a seamless road connectivity around the capital city, diverting heavy traffic, reducing chronic congestion in the core areas and improving linkages with neighbouring districts including Saran and Vaishali. "Once fully operational, it is expected to ease daily commutes, boost economic activity and support planned urban expansion," said the minister, adding that the Centre's nod to alignment would ensure handsome flow of fund from the Central government. Officials said that the ring road, being constructed in eight phases, would transform traffic flow in the upcoming satellite towns of Patna and Saran as well. The ring road will connect critical points such as Kanhauli, Sherpur, Sarai, Kacchi Dargah, Bidupur, Chak Sikandar, Dighwara and Didarganj. It will feature six-lane stretches in many sections, flyovers, underpasses and major bridges, including crossings over the Ganga and its tributaries. Decoding the move, another RCD officer said that the Central government would share the cost of land acquisition in equal proportion and may also offer monetary support in the civil work. Some segments, like parts of the Kanhauli-Ramnagar stretch, have already seen completion or significant progress, while work on others, such as Sherpur to Dighwara, is advancing. The final phase approval clears a long-standing bottleneck, giving fresh momentum to the entire network. Officials indicate that the road will integrate with multiple national highways, effectively linking up to a dozen major routes and facilitating smoother movement of goods and passengers between north and south Bihar....