Nehru Setu is a railway bridge across the
Son River, connecting
Dehri-on-Son and
Son Nagar
Son Nagar Junction is a railway station in Aurangabad district it serves Barun , Daudnagar towns of Bihar. It is located on the east bank of the Son River and was earlier known as Son East Bank.
History
The Upper Soane Bridge, connecting ...
, in
Bihar.
The Son river
Sir John Houlton, the veteran British administrator, who spent many years in the state, describes the Son as follows, "After passing the steep escarpments of the
Kaimur range, it flows straight across the plain to the Ganges. For much of this distance it is over two miles – and at one point, opposite Tilothu – three miles wide. In the dry weather there is vast expanse of sand, with a stream not more than a hundred yards wide, and the hot west winds pile up the sand on the east bank, making natural embankments. After heavy rain in the hills even this wide bed cannot carry the waters of the Son and disastrous floods in Shahabad, Gaya, and Patna are not uncommon".
The Grand Chord
When the railway line between Kolkata and Delhi was first laid, it passed through Bhagalpur, Lakhisarai, Patna and Mughalsarai, covering a distance of 1,636 km. Subsequently, the
Grand Chord line via Gaya reduced the distance by 80 km. The main line crosses the Son over the
Koilwar bridge and the Dehri-Son Nagar bridge accommodates the Grand Chord line.
[
Steel girders resting on 93 stone pillars, each a hundred feet apart, form the rail bridge. The total length of the bridge over abutments is .][
When it was built, it was the longest bridge in India and was believed to be the second longest bridge in the world.][ Subsequently, longer road bridges were built but it remained the longest rail bridge for many years.]
Surroundings
Jawahar Setu
Jawahar Setu is across the Son River, between Dehri-on-Son and Son Nagar, in the Indian state of Bihar. It is named after the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was designed and completed in 1963 by principal engineer Shantaram ...
, the road bridge carrying NH 2 and running parallel to the Nehru Setu, was constructed in 1963–65.
The Government of Bihar sanctioned in 2008, a bridge across the Son River connecting Arwal
Arwal town is the administrative headquarters of Arwal district in Bihar state of India. It was earlier part of Jehanabad district. The district as formed to control the naxalism in the area. District was formed from the area of two near by ...
and Sahar in Bhojpur district.
The Koilwar bridge preceded the Nehru Setu and was opened in 1862. A four-lane road bridge, carrying NH 30
National Highway 30 (NH 30) is a primary national highway in India. NH 30 connects Sitarganj in Uttarakhand with Ibrahimpatnam, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. The total length of this highway is . It starts at the junction of NH 9 at Sitarg ...
, parallel to the existing rail and road Koilwar Bridge, has been planned.
An anicut was constructed across the Son, a little upstream of the present Nehru Setu and Jawahar Setu, in 1873–74. The Indrapuri Barrage
Indrapuri Barrage (also known as the Sone Barrage) is across the Son River in Rohtas district in the Indian state of Bihar.
The Barrage
The Sone Barrage at Indrapuri is long and is the fourth longest barrage in the world. It was constructed ...
was constructed, 8 km upstream, and commissioned in 1968.
See also
* List of longest bridges in the world
* List of longest bridges above water in India
References
{{Patna Division topics
Bridges in Bihar
Railway bridges in India
Bridges completed in 1900
Rohtas district
1900 establishments in India
Bridges over the Son River
Dehri
20th-century architecture in India