CLIENT : Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners
CONTRACTORS : Braithwaite Burn & Jessop CO. Ltd.
CONSULTANTS : Prime Consultant M/s Schlaih & Partners, Stuttgart, W. Germany
(for M/s Leonhardt Andra Und Partner,Stuggart, W.Germany)
Proof Consultant M/s Freeman Fox & Partners, London, U.K.
CORROSION PROTECTION TO STAY-CABLES

VIDYA SAGAR SETU - 2nd HOOGHLY BRIDGE, CALCUTTA


In 1874 the first fixed crossing across river Hooghly was provided by a pontoon bridge near Howrah railway station. In 1932 the river was bridged further upstream near bridge Dakshineshwar by a multispan steel bridge presently known as Vivekananda Setu to provide road cum rail link between the Calcutta Port and its hinterland.

In the course of only two decades it was found Rabindra Setu & Vivekananda Setu were too inadequate to cater to the need of growing trans river communication. The traffic projection upto 1991 clearly indicated the need for a new bridge with three lanes of carriageway in each direction. The estimated volume of traffic towards the end of the century would be 85,000 vehicles per day with peak hour flow of about 8500 vehicles. Hence a high level road bridge at Princep Ghat, a site about 1.5 km down stream of Rabindra Setu was conceived.

Now completed, it is one of the longest stayed girder bridge with composite deck built anywhere in the world. The deck system is designed to be supported by 152 cables from 2 pairs of steel towers resting on R.C.C. cellular piers. The bridge has a main span of 457.20m (1500 ft.) and two end spans for 182.88m (600 ft.) each.

ELEVATION


DECK SECTION


HALF PLAN