Rajendra Setu, or Simaria Bridge, is a bridge across the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

that was the first to link the northern and southern portions of the state of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

. The location of the bridge was based on the work of

M. Visvesvaraya Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (15 September 1861 – 12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. Visvesvaraya ...

, who was more than 90 years old at the time. In a wheelchair, he visited the bridge site on the special request of Bihar's chief minister,

Shri Krishna Sinha Shri Krishna Sinha (21 October 1887 – 31 January 1961), also known as Shri Babu, was the first chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar (1946–61). Except for the period of World War II, Sinha was the chief minister of Bihar from the time ...

. It was the first bridge over the Ganges to be built in independent

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 ...

(after 1947). The road-cum-rail bridge near Hathidah in

Patna district Patna district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar States and territories of India, state in eastern India. Patna, the capital of Bihar, is the district headquarters. The Patna district is a part of Patna division. The Patna district ...

and Simaria in

Begusarai district Begusarai District is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Begusarai is its administrative headquarters and is part of the Munger division. History Begulsarai was established in 1870 as part of Munger Dis ...

was inaugurated in 1959 by

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, prime minister of India, and Shri Krishna Sinha. The bridge was constructed by

Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop Construction Company The Braithwaite Burn & Jessop Construction Company Limited (BBJ Construction Company) is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India under Department of Heavy Industries. Established on 26 January 1935, BBJ Construction Company ...

. It is about long and carries a two-lane road and a single-line railway track. Rajendra Setu (carrying 2 Lane NH 28 at top and single BG electrified line at bottom

Rajendra Setu (carrying 2 Lane NH 28 at top and single BG electrified line at bottom

A new bridge, carrying the four-lane NH 31 and double-track rail, 25 metres upstream from the existing rail and road bridge, was planned in 2011. Rajendra Bridge at Simariya

The construction of the new parallel double-line railway bridge was inaugurated by prime minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the List of Prime Ministers of India, 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the List of chief ministers of Gujarat, Chief Minist ...

on 12 March 2016. The new 1.9 km railway bridge was supposed to be operational by February 2021, but is now expected to be operational by 2024. The contract for construction of the new bridge was awarded to M/s AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd by the Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) on an EPC contract basis. Construction has also started on a new six-lane road bridge, which has a span of 34 metres, parallel to it, which is supposed to become operational by December 2023.

References

{{Munger Division topics Bridges in Bihar Patna district Begusarai district Bridges over the Ganges Road bridges in India Railway bridges in India Bridges completed in 1959 Memorials to Rajendra Prasad Road-rail bridges in India Double-decker bridges

See also

References