Mahatma Gandhi Setu

Mahatma Gandhi Setu

A view of Mahatma Gandhi Setu
Coordinates 25°37′19.0″N 85°12′25.7″E / 25.621944°N 85.207139°ECoordinates: 25°37′19.0″N 85°12′25.7″E / 25.621944°N 85.207139°E
Carries 4 lanes of roadway and pedestrian pathways each side
Crosses Ganga River
Locale Patna, Bihar, India
Official name Mahatma Gandhi Setu
Maintained by National Highways Authority of India
Characteristics
Design Girder bridge
Material Concrete and steel
Total length 5.58 km (3.47 mi)
Width 25 m (82 ft)
Number of spans 47
Piers in water 40
Clearance below 265
History
Designer Gammon India
Construction begin 1972
Construction end 1982
Opened May 1982
Statistics
Toll No (closed)[1]

Mahatma Gandhi Setu (also called Gandhi Setu or Ganga Setu) is a bridge over the river Ganges connecting Patna in the south to Hajipur in the north of Bihar.[2] Its length is 5,575 metres (18,291 ft)[3] and it is one of the longest river bridges in India.[4] It was inaugurated in May 1982 by the then Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi.

Planning and Significance

Gandhi Setu Bridge in Patna, India

The bridge was approved by the Central Government in 1969 and built by Gammon India Limited over a period of ten years, from 1972 to 1982. It was built in connect North Bihar with the rest of Bihar. Before this bridge was constructed, Rajendra Setu, opened in 1959, was the only link to North Bihar. Since then, the Vikramshila Setu has also been built across the Ganges. Two more rail-cum-road bridges are currently under construction, between Digha and Sonepur[5] and at Munger.[6]

The Indian postal department issued a commemorative postage stamp on Landmark Bridges Of India: Mahatma Gandhi Setu of denomination 0500 Paise on 17 August 2007.[7]

Engineering Details

The bridge consists 45 intermediate spans of 121.065 metres (397.19 ft) each and a span of 65.530 metres (214.99 ft) at each end.[8] The deck provides for a 7.5 metres (25 ft) wide two lane roadway for IRC class 70 R loading with footpaths on either side.[9] The cantilever segmental construction method was adopted to construct this mega bridge.

Traffic Congestion

In recent times, the bridge has been witnessing major traffic chaos and accidents due to exceeding number of vehicles passing over it and regularly over loading the structure. Bihar Government is planning to build two Pontoon bridges in parallel to it, in order to ease traffic.[10]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mahatma Gandhi Setu.
  1. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Traffic-eases-on-Gandhi-Setu-as-Centre-drops-toll-collection/articleshow/16551180.cms
  2. ↑ "Destinations :: Patna".
  3. ↑ Gammon India Limited Archived 12 February 2011 at WebCite
  4. ↑ "Gandhi Setu: An engineering marvel".
  5. ↑ "Digha Sonepur Rail Road Bridge to be operational by 2017".
  6. ↑ "PM opens work on Munger rail-cum-road bridge project".
  7. ↑ Welcome to the Indiapost Web Site Archived 12 February 2011 at WebCite
  8. ↑ "Gandhi Setu: An engineering marvel".
  9. ↑ Gammon India Ltd. - Builders to the nation Archived 12 February 2011 at WebCite
  10. ↑ "Govt planning to build 2 Pontoon Bridges parallel to Gandhi Setu in Patna". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 18 February 2014.

See also