The West Bengal government will spend around Rs 200 crore to renovate the nearly three-decade-old Vidyasagar Setu, connecting Kolkata with Howrah, an official said on Friday.

The renovation, which is set to start in June, will be jointly undertaken by a German company and a city-based firm, he added.

"The renovation of Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, will commence next month. It would entail an expenditure of Rs 200 crore, and the process may require 15 months," he said.

Built 27 years ago, the bridge’s stay cables, holding-down cables, deck slabs, expansion joints and other materials have become old, the officer added.

According to experts, the bridge needs "immediate" repairs to avoid any major disaster.

To start with, 20 stay cables will be replaced, followed by the replacement of bridge bearings, the officer said.

When work starts, one lane of the bridge will remain closed for extended periods, while traffic will continue on the remaining lanes.

"Complete closure of the bridge is impossible. Therefore, work will be done by closing one lane at a time, so that traffic movement and renovation work can continue simultaneously," he added.

The lanes will be closed for 10-12 hours at night. Although the work is slated to begin in June, exact dates have not yet been finalised.

Named after educationist and reformer Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, the 822.96-metre-long (2,700 ft) cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River connects Kolkata and various areas of Howrah and Santragachi.

It was the first and longest cable-stayed bridge in the country when it was inaugurated in 1992.

Talking to PTI, a senior officer of Kolkata Police Traffic Department said additional officers will be deployed to the bridge to ensure smooth traffic flow.

"A large number of vehicles ply on the bridge every day. We will plan vehicular movements accordingly as per the renovation works," a senior police officer told PTI.

"We are planning smooth movement of vehicles, keeping in mind that a number of VVIPs, including the Chief Minister, use the bridge to reach the secretariat on the Howrah end of the bridge," he said.

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