The project will include 38km of national highway with four lanes and 19km with two lanes, as well as four railway-over-bridges, one railway-under-bridge and a 5km-long bypass to Maheshpur town.

This section will facilitate the transport of coal and steel, thus contributing to industrial development in the country. The INR9.46bn ($141M) project is expected to be complete in two years.

The second contract has been awarded to Ramky Infrastructure for the construction of the 41km-long Barhi-Hazaribagh section.

The scope of the work will include the construction of five major bridges, three elephant crossings, two vehicular underpasses and an 11km-long bypass to Hazaribagh city.

The project aims to improve connectivity of Hazaribagh, Ranchi and Jamshedpur cities to Delhi-Kolkata corridor through NH-2.

The development, valued at INR7bn ($104.3M), is expected to be complete within 21 months.

China Railway Group has signed a $3.14bn contract with Bangladesh Railway for the construction of the Padma Bridge Rail Link project in Bangladesh.

The 168.6km, single-track rail line will originate from the existing Dhaka station and will pass through the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge, which is under construction, via Mawa to reach Jessore via Bhanga.

The middle section of the line will connect with the existing Rajbari-Kashiani Railway and Faridpur-Bhanga Railway. The entire line will represent the new framework for the Southwest Bangladesh railway network.

The project will include the construction of bridges, roadbeds, ancillary works, track-laying works and communication signals.

It will also involve the construction of station buildings and ancillary works, purchase of vehicles, construction design, training programmes and remedying defects upon completion of the rail line.

The line will have a target speed of 120kmph and is expected to be built within four-and-a-half years.