The Farakka Setu or Farakka Bridge is a four-lane bridge located 500 meters downstream
of
Farakka Barrage. The bridge is intended to reduce traffic congestion on the Farakka Barrage and to connect
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
South Bengal. Once finished, the bridge, including the main and connecting bridge, will span .
[ When the bridge is finished, it will be the longest bridge in ]West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
and one of the highest bridges in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The total construction cost of the bridge has been estimated at ₹521 crore, or roughly 65 million USD.[ Construction began in January 2019. RKEC Projects is working on the construction of the bridge in conjunction with Qingdao Construction Engineering.]
History
Project Approval
In October 2016, India's Union Council of Ministers passed a bill for the construction of the bridge. At the beginning of 2018, construction work was given to a foreign company.
Construction
On January 1 2019, RKEC Projects began construction. Work began on the north bank of the Ganges from Lakshmipur in the Malda district
Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km (215 miles) north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this district. ...
and Farakka
Farakka is a town, with a police station and a post office, not identified in 2011 census as a separate place, in the Farakka community development block in the Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India. It ...
in the Murshidabad district on the south bank.
Accident
On February 16, 2020, while construction of a girder was underway between Pillars 1 and 2, the girder broke, causing 2 fatalities and 7 injuries.
References
{{Reflist
Bridges in West Bengal
Buildings and structures in Murshidabad district
Bridges over the Ganges