The Farakka Setu or New Farakka Bridge is an under construction road bridge spanning the

Ganga river 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 which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

, 500 meters downstream of the Farakka Barrage. Once completed, the bridge aims to alleviate traffic congestion on the Farakka Barrage and enhance connectivity between

North Bengal North Bengal ( , Uttar Banga) is a cross-border cultural–geographic region consisting of the north-western areas of Bangladesh as well as the northern part of the West Bengal state of India. Bounded to the east by the Jamuna and in the south ...

and South Bengal. Upon completion, the bridge, including its approach roads, will span an impressive , making it the longest bridge in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

over water. Initially estimated at , the total construction cost has since been revised to . Construction began in January 2019, RKEC Projects is working on the construction of the bridge in conjunction with Qingdao Construction Engineering to bring the bridge to life.

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. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

and Farakka in the

Murshidabad district Murshidabad district is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of and having a population 7.103 million (according to 2011 census), it ...

on the south bank. Two separate roads cross the 4 lane bridge, each 12.5 meters wide.

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