Mahatma Gandhi Setu, the longest steel bridge in the country, will be opened to the public today. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will dedicate the reconstructed bridge to over 12 crore people of the state.

Built over the river Ganges, Gandhi Setu connects Patna in the south to Hajipur in the North. The bridge has been reconstructed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) at Rs 1,742 crore under the Prime Minister’s package to Bihar.

The bridge will give much-needed relief to commuters of both the sides of Gandhi Setu who often faced traffic snarls due to congestion as the bridge couldn't cater to heavy loads.

The bridge was originally inaugurated in 1982 by then PM Indira Gandhi. The 5.57-km long bridge was in a dilapidated condition in absence of proper maintenance before the Modi government in 2016 approved the reconstruction of the four-lane bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 1,742 crore.

The bridge was constructed after dismantling the damaged pre-stressed cantilever arms superstructure and subsequent re-decking by steel truss.

Gadkari had in July 2020iInaugurated two completed lanes of the 4-lane bridge via video conference. Terming Gandhi Setu as an engineering marvel, he had said that the renovated bridge is one of its kind in the country and the superstructure consumed 66,000 tonnes of steel and will prove as a case study.

The bridge can now see about 1 lakh passenger car unit traffic daily. The bridge will benefit Hajipur, Chhapra, Muzzafarpur, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Siwan and eastern Uttar Pradesh on the northern side and Patna, Ara, Arwal, Jahanabad, Nalanda, Gaya, Aurangabad, Sasaram and Jharkhand on the southern side.

In addition to the existing Gandhi Setu, the government is constructing a parallel new 5-km long and 4-lane bridge on Ganga. The work on the project is likely to be completed by March 2024.