Siliguri, Nov. 21: The National Highways Authority of India has floated tenders for building a bridge over the Ganga at Farakka, considered as the entry point to north Bengal and the Northeast from the southern parts of the state.
The existing road and rail bridge over the river that is part of the Farakka Barrage Project was built in 1975.
"Tender for the construction of the four-lane road bridge over the Ganga at Farakka has been floated. The new bridge is part of the four-laning of NH34 between Farakka and Raiganj," D.K. Hansaria, the project director of the NHAI posted in Malda, told The Telegraph over the phone today.
According to NHAI sources, the new bridge would be over 5.5km long and include approach roads. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 516.62 crore and construction is expected to be completed in three years.
"We have necessary land available for the project. Although it is a river bridge and not a rail over bridge or a flyover, land is necessary at the approaches," an official of the NHAI said.
The road bridge that is part of the barrage in Murshidabad district has only two lanes.
"Work of four-laning has begun on NH34. It is obvious that once the entire highway is four-laned, the average speed of vehicles will increase. In such a situation, if a parallel bridge over the Ganga is not built, it would obviously lead to traffic congestion at either end of the existing bridge," an official of the state PWD, said.
The move has left north Bengal residents elated.
"It was a longstanding demand of north Bengal residents. We welcome the move of NHAI that has finally taken up the project. Once the new bridge is completed, movement of goods vehicles as well as passenger traffic will become more easy," Biswajit Das, the general secretary of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, north Bengal, said.