NH-22 Four-Laning in Bihar Approved at Rs 3,590.73 Crore Cost

The correct answer is 82.57 km. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the upgradation of this length of the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of National Highway-22 to four lanes in August 2026, at a total capital cost of Rs 3,590.73 crore on the Hybrid Annuity Mode. The other three options are near misses placed around the real figure, which is how such questions are usually framed, so the exact decimal is worth memorising rather than a rounded number. Along with the length, candidates should carry away the corridor's purpose: it links Muzaffarpur, a major economic centre of north Bihar, with Sonbarsa on the India-Nepal border, and at Muzaffarpur it intersects NH-27, a part of the East-West Corridor. The project also includes seven major bridges, three railway overbridges and two flyovers.

The correct answer is Hybrid Annuity Mode, usually shortened to HAM. This is the model under which the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared the upgradation of the 82.57-km stretch at a total capital cost of Rs 3,590.73 crore. Option A, Engineering, Procurement and Construction, places the entire cost on the government and is a common mode for highway work, but it is not the one chosen here. Option B, Build, Operate and Transfer on a toll basis, leaves the developer to recover money from users and is likewise not applicable. Option D, Build, Own, Operate and Transfer, is another concession structure used in infrastructure but not for this project. Aspirants should also remember that the work was planned under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, which coordinates road, rail and logistics planning.

The correct answer is Bagmati. Among the seven major bridges in the project is a 340-metre structure over the perennial Bagmati river, which the corridor must cross on its way from Muzaffarpur towards the border. Option A, the Kosi, is a well-known river of north Bihar and a frequent distractor in questions on the state's bridges, but it is not the river named here. Option B, the Gandak, flows to the west of this alignment. Option D, the Burhi Gandak, passes close to Muzaffarpur and is therefore a tempting choice, yet the bridge in question spans the Bagmati. Besides the seven major bridges, the project includes three railway overbridges and two flyovers, all meant to smooth crossings and reduce conflict between road and railway movement along the route.

The correct answer is Sonbarsa. The section being widened runs from Muzaffarpur through Sitamarhi to Sonbarsa, which sits on the India-Nepal border, and the upgraded road will feed cross-border traffic moving through the nearby Bhithamore Land Port. Option A, Raxaul, is a major Indian border town opposite Birgunj but lies on a different corridor. Option B, Jogbani, is a border crossing in the Araria area of Bihar and is not on this alignment. Option D, Birgunj, is in Nepal itself, so it cannot be the Indian end of the highway. The road also passes through Muksudpur, Runni Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra and Bhutahi, and it improves access to Baba Garibnath Temple, Mata Janki Temple, Punaura Dham and the Buddhist Circuit.