Government to repair Hoogly Bridge

The Government of West Bengal has recently decided to repair the 27 years old second Hooghly bridge for which it has invited tenders for a Rs 154-crore repair job. The second Hooghly bridge or Vidyasagar Setu had earlier undergone minor repairs on its external surfaces but this is going to be the first time that the largest cable-stayed bridge of India will be undergoing a severe overhaul. The 823 metres bridge will undergo a complete repairing of its internal as well as external structures. Engineers will have to replace the damaged stay and holding down cables, replace the bearings, study the structural health of the bridge and also conduct underwater investigation of the piers and pylons. The second Hooghly bridge has 152 cables in a fan arrangement using steel pylons which rests on two sets of piers at two ends with their foundations lying underwater. So far, two companies - GPT and Unique have responded to the tender. A clearance from the finance department is yet to arrive for the final bidding. The second Hoogly bridge is 823 metres long and happens to be the longest cable–stayed bridge in the country. It was the second bridge that was built across river Hoogly. The construction of the bridge was completed in 1943 and it was a joint effort between the public and private sectors working under the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC).