Gandhi setu will be rehabilitated by March 2022: Bihar minister

PATNA: State road construction minister Nitin Nabin said on Thursday that rehabilitation of the eastern flank of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu would be completed by March next year. He also claimed that another bridge parallel to the Gandhi setu would be ready by 2024.
The minister made the claims during site inspection of the two bridges on Thursday. Elaborating on the progress in rehabilitation of the Gandhi setu, Nabin said, “While the western flank has been rehabilitated, work on the eastern flank of the bridge began in November last year. Demolition of the old concrete structure of the eastern flank has almost been done and a new superstructure is being constructed in its place.”
Rehabilitation of the 39-year-old Gandhi setu is being done by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the work executed by Afcons Infrastructure Limited and Sibmost at a cost of Rs 1,742 crore.
“Approximately 93% of the work on the span segment and 50% on the pier caps have been done. The entire rehabilitation work is targeted to be completed by March 31, 2022,” Nabin said.
The road construction minister also visited the site of the upcoming four lane-bridge and tried to understand the well foundation technology being used in its construction. The proposed bridge is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special package for Bihar that he had announced before the 2015 assembly elections. Its total length from Zero Mile in Patna to Ramashish Chowk in Hajipur is 5.63km and the overall length is 14.5km.
The project also includes a flyover, four minor bridges and a 21km-long service road. Officials claimed that the existing approach road to the Gandhi setu would be developed into four lanes for providing connectivity to the new bridge.
The bridge project is targeted to be completed by the end of 2024 at a cost of Rs 2,926 crore. Engineers told the minister that the project was being executed in a timely manner.
Additional chief secretary (road construction department) Amrit Lal Meena and chief engineer Neeraj Saxena, among others, were also present at the site.