Roamingindian at 14:17, 19 February 2025

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{{Short description|Bridge connecting Patna and Hajipur in Bihar, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name = Mahatma Gandhi Setu
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image =
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = Gandhi setu in 2024
| coordinates = {{coord|25|37|19.0|N|85|12|25.7|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference =
| carries = [[National Highway 22 (India)|NH-22]] and [[National Highway 31 (India)|NH-31]]<ref name="renumber">{{cite web|url=http://dorth.gov.in/writereaddata/sublinkimages/finaldoc6143316640.pdf|title=Rationalisation of Numbering Systems of National Highways|publisher=[[Department of Road Transport and Highways]]|access-date=27 May 2017|location=New Delhi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201124738/http://dorth.gov.in/writereaddata/sublinkimages/finaldoc6143316640.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| crosses = [[Ganges|Ganga]]
| locale = [[Patna]], [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| official_name = Mahatma Gandhi Setu
| other_name = Ganga Setu
| named_for = [[Mahatma Gandhi]]
| owner =
| maint = [[National Highways Authority of India]]
| heritage =
| id =
| id_type =
| website =
| preceded =
| followed =
| design = [[Girder bridge]]
| material = [[Concrete]] and [[steel]]
| material1 =
| material2 =
| length = {{Convert|5.75|km|abbr=on}}
| width = {{Convert|25|m|abbr=on}}
| height =
| depth =
| traversable =
| towpath =
| mainspan =
| number_spans = 45
| piers_in_water =
| load =
| clearance_above =
| clearance_below =
| lanes =
| life =
| num_track =
| track_gauge =
| structure_gauge =
| electrification =
| architect =
| designer = [[Gammon India]]
| contracted_designer =
| winner =
| engineering =
| builder = [[Gammon India]]
| fabricator =
| begin = 1972
| complete = 1982
| cost =
| open = May 1982
| inaugurated =
| rebuilt =
| collapsed =
| closed =
| replaces =
| replaced_by =
| traffic =
| toll = No (revoked)<ref name=toi1>{{cite news |title=Traffic eases on Gandhi Setu as Centre drops toll collection |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Traffic-eases-on-Gandhi-Setu-as-Centre-drops-toll-collection/articleshow/16551180.cms |author=Madhuri Kumar |work=[[The Times of India]] |location=[[Patna]] |date=26 September 2012 |access-date=27 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430145344/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Traffic-eases-on-Gandhi-Setu-as-Centre-drops-toll-collection/articleshow/16551180.cms |archive-date=30 April 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
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}}
'''Mahatma Gandhi Setu''' (also called '''Gandhi Setu''' or '''Ganga Setu''') is a [[bridge]] over the river [[Ganges|Ganga]] in [[Bihar]], [[India]], connecting [[Patna]] in the south to [[Hajipur]] in the north.<ref>{{cite web|title=Destinations :: Patna |url=http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/Patna.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918091228/http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/patna.htm |archive-date=2014-09-18 }}</ref> Its length of {{convert|5750|m}} makes it the fourth-longest [[List of longest bridges above water in India|river bridge in India]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Traffic-eases-on-Gandhi-Setu-as-Centre-drops-toll-collection/articleshow/16551180.cms |title = Traffic eases on Gandhi Setu as Centre drops toll collection - Times of India|website = [[The Times of India]]| date=26 September 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gandhi Setu: An engineering marvel|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Gandhi-Setu-An-engineering-marvel/articleshow/14009526.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817123153/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/patna/32174190_1_patna-and-north-bihar-mahatma-gandhi-setu-bridge|url-status=live|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=11 June 2012 |archive-date=2012-08-17}}</ref><ref>[http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/country-s-longest-river-bridge-in-patna-to-be-rebuilt-115102600883_1.html longest river bridge to be rebuilt] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029051836/http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/country-s-longest-river-bridge-in-patna-to-be-rebuilt-115102600883_1.html |date=29 October 2015 }} business-standard.com</ref> It was inaugurated in May 1982 in a ceremony in Hajipur by then-prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. From 1982 to 2017, Mahatma Gandhi Setu was the longest bridge in India. Later, the Gandhi Setu rehabilitation project was undertaken to install triangular steel trusses on Mahatma Gandhi Setu.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/bihar/anatomy-of-setu-repair/cid/1359505|title=Anatomy of Setu repair}}</ref>

== Planning and significance ==
[[File:Gandhi Setu Bridge in Patna, India.jpg|left|280px|thumb|Old structure of Gandhi Setu Bridge in Patna, India]]
The bridge was approved by the [[Government of India|Central Government]] in 1969 and built by [[Gammon India|Gammon India Limited]] over a period of ten years, from 1972 to 1982. The total expense was {{currency|87.22|INR|linked=yes}} crore (872.2 million rupees). It was built to connect [[North Bihar]] with the rest of [[Bihar]] through the state's capital at [[Patna]], and as part of National Highway 19 (NH19). Before this bridge was constructed, the only bridge crossing the Ganges in Bihar was [[Rajendra Setu]], approximately {{convert|85|km|mile}} to the east, which had opened in 1959. Since then, the [[Vikramshila Setu]] has also been built across the Ganges. Two more rail-and-road bridges were constructed between [[Patna|Digha]] and [[Sonepur, Bihar|Sonepur]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Digha Sonepur Rail Road Bridge to be operational by 2017|date= July 2013|url= http://news.biharprabha.com/2013/07/digha-sonepur-rail-road-bridge-to-be-operational-by-2017/|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130706042004/http://news.biharprabha.com/2013/07/digha-sonepur-rail-road-bridge-to-be-operational-by-2017/|archive-date= 6 July 2013|df= dmy-all|access-date= 13 December 2013}}</ref> and at [[Munger]].<ref>[[Ganga Rail-Road Bridge]]</ref> More bridges named [[Kacchi Dargah-Bidupur Bridge|Kacchi Dargah Biddupur bridge]] under Greenfield expressway, at Chhapra, Bakhtiyaarpur, Sultanganj are under construction.

The [[Indian Postal Service|Indian postal department]] issued a commemorative postage stamp, "Landmark Bridges Of India: Mahatma Gandhi Setu" on 17 August 2007.<ref>[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Stamps2007.html Welcome to the Indiapost Web Site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412001403/http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Stamps2007.html |date=12 April 2011 }}</ref>

==Engineering==
[[File:Mahatma Gandhi Setu.jpg|thumb|left|J.P. Setu a rail cum road bridge connecting Digha in Patna to Sonpur near Hajipur]]
The bridge consists of 45 intermediate spans of {{convert|121.065|m}} each and a span of {{convert|65.530|m}} at each end.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gandhi Setu: An engineering marvel|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Gandhi-Setu-An-engineering-marvel/articleshow/14009526.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817123153/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/patna/32174190_1_patna-and-north-bihar-mahatma-gandhi-setu-bridge|url-status=live|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=11 June 2012 |archive-date=2012-08-17}}</ref> The deck provides for a {{convert|7.5|m|ft|adj=mid|-wide}} two-lane roadway for the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) class 70 R loading with footpaths on either side.<ref>[http://www.gammonindia.com/aos_tep_bridges.html Gammon India Ltd. - Builders to the nation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223194131/http://www.gammonindia.com/aos_tep_bridges.html |date=23 February 2011 }}</ref> The cantilever segmental construction method was adopted; each span has two cantilever beams on both sides which are free to move at the ends. It has two lanes, one upstream and the other downstream, each with a width of around {{convert|6|m}}. These lanes are free from each other with no connections. It was constructed using {{convert|3|m|ft|adj=on}} pre-cast parts, which were joined at both ends to complete the span. The spans are connected with a protrusion which is free to move longitudinally. Vertical movement allows for vibrations from vehicular movement to transfer smoothly between spans without much discreteness.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slideshare.net/chauhansunny/mahatma-gandhi-setu |title=Mahatma Gandhi setu Bihar |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=2016-01-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081118/http://www.slideshare.net/chauhansunny/mahatma-gandhi-setu |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Traffic congestion==
In recent decades, the bridge has experienced major traffic chaos due to the increasing number of vehicles crossing it, operating in excess of capacity and overloading the structure. In 2014, [[Bihar government]] announced plans to build two [[pontoon bridges]] parallel to Gandhi Setu, in order to relieve congestion problems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Govt planning to build 2 Pontoon Bridges parallel to Gandhi Setu in Patna|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/govt-planning-to-build-2-pontoon-bridges-parallel-to-gandhi-setu-in-patna/|work=IANS|date=15 February 2014|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|access-date=18 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140507091659/http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/govt-planning-to-build-2-pontoon-bridges-parallel-to-gandhi-setu-in-patna/|archive-date=7 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> One pontoon bridge was opened in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-12-05 |title=Patna-Hajipur pontoon bridge to open today |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/patna-hajipur-pontoon-bridge-to-open-today/articleshow/61919671.cms |access-date=2024-12-04 |work=[[Times of India]] |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The bridge is crossed daily by over 85,000 vehicles and 12,000 pedestrians.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}
On 21 September 2020, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of another 4-lane road bridge measuring 14.5  km and will cost {{INR}}2926.42 crores <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/roadways/infra-boost-for-bihar-pm-modi-lays-foundation-stone-for-9-highway-projects-inaugurates-optical-fibre-services/2088198/|title = Infra boost for Bihar! PM Modi lays the foundation stone for 9 highway projects, inaugurates optical fiber services| date=21 September 2020 }}</ref> It will be on the west side of the present bridge, and in the future, it will become 8 lane bridge including the present 4 lane bridge.

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2019}}
* Construction started: Year 1972
* Scheduled opening: June 1978.
* Tender cost: {{INR}}23.50 crore
* 1st Extension of Time (EOT): June 1980
* Allocated cost: {{INR}}46.67 crore
* Reasons for cost increase: This extra cost is the outcome of an "in-built" cost [[escalation clause]] in the contract
* Reasons for delay: A heavy storm in April 1979 destroyed two gantries and casting beds. Each gantry crane weighs 300 tonnes. Huge shortage of cement and building materials and a workers' strike
* Reports: Cement and other building materials stored for this project find their way into Nepal and parts of Bihar
from the northern side of the bridge.
* 2nd Extension of Time (EOT): December 1981
* Project progress: 80% ( physical ) up to September 1980
* Billed value: {{INR}}41 crore
* Contractor's extra claim : {{INR}}50 crore
Litigation & arbitration:
Disagreement between the contractors and the Government overpayments stalled construction activity.
Claims and bills were referred to the Law Department.
Final completion date: June 1982 ( Eastern carriageway )
Completion date: April 1987 ( Western carriageway )
Total cost: 87 crores
Minister of State for Public Works: Raghunath Jha
Chief Minister: Jagannath Mishra

==Structural integrity and failure==
{{multiple issues|section=yes|
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2019}}
{{essay|date=September 2019}}
}}
The bridge has often been subjected to [[structural load]]s and [[moving load]]s exceeding its design. Major repairs were initiated on it within five years of its completion. Poor maintenance, coupled with wear and tear caused by the unprecedented surge in traffic, has made the structure vulnerable. Other bridges in India which were built with the same cantilever design have developed cracks.
[[File:Gandhi Setu Bridge at Patna.jpg|right|thumb|old concrete superstructure of Gandhi Setu before it was replaced]]
Investigations into the fissures developed in the bridge revealed the following defects: hammering at the hinges when vehicles plied; finger-type [[expansion joint]]s in an advanced state of distress; wearing coat cracks; [[Concrete degradation|spilling of concrete]] at transverse joints; longitudinal cracks in precast segments; leakage of water inside the [[box girder]] from joints between segments and from holes provided for lifting the segments.

==Gandhi Setu rehabilitation project==
In 2018, it was reported that Mahatma Gandhi Setu is being revamped.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/1742-crore-approved-to-revamp-mahatma-gandhi-setu-in-patna/article8760787.ece|title=₹1,742 crore approved to revamp Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna|website=The Hindu Businessline|date = 20 January 2018}}</ref> Gandhi Setu rehabilitation project has been completed by [[Afcons Infrastructure]] in joint venture with Sibmost OJSC at an estimated cost of {{INR}}1,742.01 crore.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/western-flank-of-gandhi-setu-to-be-ready-by-june/articleshow/67354612.cms|title='Western flank of Gandhi setu was re-inaugurated on June 22|website=[[The Times of India]]|date = 3 January 2019}}</ref> Of that, Rs 237 crore is spent on dismantling the structure that was replaced by the steel framework. The superstructure of Gandhi Setu was renewed by Steel Truss Girders, i.e. the steel framework replaced the entire concrete superstructure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/country-s-longest-river-bridge-in-patna-to-be-rebuilt-115102600883_1.html|title=Country's longest river bridge in Patna to be rebuilt|newspaper=Business Standard India|date=28 October 2015|last1=Roy|first1=Vijay C.}}</ref> While the superstructure was damaged, the pillars were not and nor was the foundation weakened. The triangular steel trusses were installed on each flank of Gandhi Setu. The renovated Western flank was opened to the public on 31 July 2020, and the completed bridge (including both flanks) was inaugurated in June 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/union-minister-nitin-gadkari-inaugurates-rehabilitated-western-flank-of-gandhi-setu/articleshow/77287746.cms|title=Bihar: Union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurates rehabilitated western flank of Mahatma Gandhi Setu|website=[[The Times of India]]|date = 31 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/nitin-gadkari-inaugurates-bihars-lifeline-bridge/cid/1868814|title=Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Bihar's lifeline bridge|website=The Telegraph|date = 8 May 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of longest bridges in the world]]
*[[List of longest bridges above water in India]]
*[[List of bridges in India]]
*[[Kacchi Dargah-Bidupur Bridge]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}

{{Rivers in Bihar}}
{{Tirhut Division topics}}
{{Patna Division topics}}
{{Railways in Bihar}}

[[Category:Road bridges in India]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1982]]
[[Category:Transport in Patna]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Patna district]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Patna]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Ganges]]
[[Category:Bridges in Bihar]]
[[Category:Former toll bridges]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in Bihar]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in India]]

Mahatma Gandhi Setu - Revision history

Roamingindian at 14:17, 19 February 2025