Kolkata: One of the six lanes of Second Hooghly Bridge, popularly known as Vidyasagar Setu, will remain closed for six months once the state government begins the replacement work of 16 “holding down” cables of the structure from November 1.
“A joint venture company of India and France will be executing the work which will also involve replacement of 15 stay cables of the 823-metre long bridge,” said a senior official of Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) which is responsible for the maintenance of the bridge.
The bridge has 152 cables in a fan arrangement using steel pylons. There are two sets of pylons at two ends with their foundations underwater that hold the cables on the top. These holding-down cables lie inside the pylons at the two ends of the bridge and ensure that the cables above can hold the tension of the entire bridge structure. According to HRBC sources, these 16 cables were originally brought in from Germany.
The bridge is a combination of these 16 cables and the 152 stay cables.
The bridge, inaugurated on October 10, 1992, handles close to 90,000 vehicles, including 75,000 passenger vehicles and 15,000 goods vehicles every day. “This is the first time since inauguration that a massive overhaul of the bridge is being taken up. The total cost of the work will be around Rs 200 crore,” a senior HRBC official said.
Talks were held with the Kolkata Police as well as the Howrah Police Commissionerate concerning the management of traffic on the bridge due to this work. More such meetings will follow. The police will inform motorists about the closure in advance and there will be adequate deployment of police personnel to ensure there is no traffic congestion on the bridge.
The Vidyasagar Setu is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India.