Mahatma Gandhi Setu

Mahatma Gandhi Setu (also called Gandhi Setu or Ganga Setu) is a bridge over the river Ganges in Bihar, India, connecting Patna in the south to Hajipur in the north. Its length is  and it is the third-longest river bridge in India. It was inaugurated in May 1982 in a ceremony in Hajipur by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi.

Planning and significance 

The bridge was approved by the Central Government in 1969 and built by Gammon India Limited over a period of ten years, from 1972 to 1982. The total expenditure was  crore (872.2 million rupees). It was built to connect North Bihar with the rest of Bihar through the state's capital at Patna, and as part of national highway 19 (NH19). Before this bridge was constructed, the only bridge crossing of the Ganges in Bihar was Rajendra Setu, approximately  to the east, which had opened in 1959. Since then, the Vikramshila Setu has also been built across the Ganges. Two more rail-cum-road bridges are currently under construction, between Digha and Sonepur and at Munger.

The Indian postal department issued a commemorative postage stamp, "Landmark Bridges Of India: Mahatma Gandhi Setu", on 17 August 2007.

Engineering 
The bridge consists of 45 intermediate spans of  each and a span of  at each end. The deck provides for a  two-lane roadway for IRC class 70 R loading with footpaths on either side. The cantilever segmental construction method was adopted; each span has two cantilever beams on both sides which are free to move at the ends. It has two lanes, one upstream and the other downstream, each with a width of around . These lanes are free from each other with no connections. It was constructed using  pre-cast parts, which were joined at both ends to complete the span. The spans are connected with a protrusion which is free to move longitudinally. Vertical movement allows for vibrations from vehicular movement to transfer smoothly between spans without much discreteness.

Traffic congestion
In recent decades, the bridge has experienced major traffic chaos due to the increasing number of vehicles crossing it, operating in excess of capacity and overloading the structure. The Bihar government has planned to build two pontoon bridges parallel to it, in order to relieve these problems. The bridge is crossed daily by over 85,000 vehicles and 12,000 pedestrians.

History

 Construction started: Year 1972
 Scheduled opening: June 1978.
 Tender cost: Rs 23.50 crore
 1st Extension of Time (EOT): June 1980
 Allocated cost: Rs 46.67 crore
 Reasons for cost increase: This extra cost is the outcome of an "in-built" cost escalation clause in the contract
 Reasons for delay: Heavy storm in April 1979 destroyed two gantries and casting beds. Each gantry crane weighs 300 tonnes. Huge shortage of cement and building material and a workers' strike
 Reports: Cement and other building materials stored for this project find their way into Nepal and parts of Bihar 
from the northern side of the bridge. 
 2nd  Extension of Time (EOT): December  1981
 Project progress: 80% ( physical ) up to September 1980
 Billed value: Rs 41 crore
 Contractor’s extra claim : Rs 50 crore
Litigation & arbitration: 
Disagreement between the contractors and the Government overpayments stalled construction activity. 
Claims and bills got referred to the Law Department.
Final completion date: June 1982 ( Eastern carriageway )
Completion date: April 1987 ( Western carriageway )
Total cost: 87 crores
Minister of State for Public Works: Raghunath Jha
Chief Minister: Jagannath Mishra

Structural integrity and failure

The bridge has often been subjected to structural loads and moving loads exceeding its design. Major repairs were initiated on it within five years of its completion. Poor maintenance, coupled with wear and tear caused by the unprecedented surge in traffic, has made the structure vulnerable. Other bridges in India which were built with the same cantilever design have developed cracks.

Investigations into the fissures developed in the bridge revealed the following defects: hammering at the hinges when vehicles plied; finger-type expansion joints in an advanced state of distress; wearing coat cracks; spilling of concrete at transverse joints; longitudinal cracks in precast segments; leakage of water inside the box girder from joints between segments and from holes provided for lifting the segments.

Mahatma Gandhi Setu is now being dismantled. It may have happened that due to such inferior quality of reinforcement coupled with inferior concrete have been causes for such catastrophic failure. Stressed cables are not grouted at all. They are acting like de-bonded tendons. There is minimal stress left. That is why external pre-stressing made later could not make up the stresses lost. Even cables do not conform to the as-built drawings submitted. All as-built drawings say how improper the design was. Providing central hinge bearing may not have given so much of adverse effect as the problems cited above. Now it is becoming clear that there were faults in all the departments, be it design or construction or supervision or material deficiency.

References

See also 
List of longest bridges in the world
List of longest bridges above water in India
List of bridges in India
Kacchi Dargah-Bidupur Bridge

Category:Road bridges in India
Category:Bridges completed in 1982
Category:Transport in Patna
Category:Tourist attractions in Patna
Category:Buildings and structures in Patna
Category:Bridges over the Ganges
Category:Bridges in Bihar
Category:Former toll bridges
Category:1982 establishments in India