Traffic between Nadia and East Burdwan districts is set to face major disruption for about 45 days starting Friday, as the state public works department has announced partial and complete closures of the Gouranga Setu over the Bhagirathi river because of a major maintenance drive.

The 50-year-old arterial bridge connects East Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia, and Murshidabad districts and serves as a key link between NH12 and the Delhi Road. The bridge's 28 worn-out metallic bearings will be replaced as structural issues have caused repeated traffic suspensions in recent years.

Acting on a communication from the state PWD (roads), Nadia highway division, the district magistrate of Nadia, Aneesh Dasgupta, has issued a notification imposing restrictions on traffic on the bridge, which forms part of the Krishnanagar–Nabadwip Dham Road (State Highway 8).

“The Gouranga Setu is about 50 years old, and it requires the replacement of 28 bearings. To enable the work by the PWD, vehicular movement on the bridge has been restricted, either partially or completely, based on the specific work schedule,” Dasgupta said.

According to the notification, no vehicles will be allowed on the bridge during “complete closure”. During “partial closure”, only vehicles weighing up to three metric tonnes and not exceeding 2.25 metres in height will be permitted to ply on the bridge, with a maximum speed limit of 5km per hour. The Nadia administration has informed adjoining districts of the restrictions.

PWD officials said the major work would be undertaken at night, and as such, the “complete closure” would be enforced between 6pm and 6am on November 15, 16, 27, and December 8, 19, and 30. The bridge will remain “partially closed” from dawn to dusk (6am to 6pm) throughout the repair period from November 16 to December 31.

As a result, vehicles bound for Murshidabad and north Bengal from the opposite side of the Hooghly or the Bhagirathi, or from Delhi Road and the Durgapur Expressway, will be diverted to the Vivekananda Setu or the Ishwar Gupta Setu, via the Kalyani Expressway, which connects to NH12.

Superintendent of police, Krishnanagar police district, Amarnath K, said: “We will put sufficient signage at different important locations to draw the attention of motorists to avoid any trouble.”

However, daily commuters from Nabadwip, Krishnanagar and the adjoining Purbasthali block in East Burdwan are expected to suffer most, as bus services over the bridge will remain suspended.

Since 2016, the Gouranga Setu has experienced repeated structural issues, prompting periodic repairs.

In 2016, two of the main piers were dislocated because of embankment erosion and repeated monsoon inundation. Although the damage was repaired, the bridge’s condition remained fragile because of persistent weakness in its bearings.

In 2021, the expansion joints of its six-metre-wide suspended spans had dislocated by over an inch, causing panic among commuters.

The 569-metre-long cantilever bridge connects Krishnanagar with Nabadwip town, adjacent to the Purbasthali block of East Burdwan. A large volume of inter-district traffic, including buses connecting Nadia, East Burdwan and Birbhum, uses this vital route.

Technically an “over-hanged balance cantilever beam” structure, the Gouranga Setu was inaugurated on June 17, 1973, by then urban development minister Bhola Nath Sen. It spans six piers in total — one approach pier on each riverbank and four more based on the riverbed.

Local people have urged the government to construct a new bridge as an alternative to the Gouranga Setu.

“The Gouranga Setu is around 50 years old, and there has been huge pressure on this two-lane bridge. The state government should consider building a new one, as it had done for the Ishwar Gupta Setu over the Hooghly connecting Kalyani and Tribeni,” said a resident.

A senior PWD engineer, however, clarified that no such proposal was under consideration.