A new bridge spanning the Hooghly River in India is being proposed. This new bridge would form part of the 620km Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway, if it gets the go-ahead.
The new bridge would provide a link between Bagnan in Howrah district to Pujali in South 24 Parganas. Construction of this new expressway would make a significant reduction in journey times between Varanasi and Kolkata, down from 14 hours at present to an estimated 6 hours. The expressway project is being managed by the National Highways Authority of India.
The expressway will feature two lanes in either direction and is expected to cost around $4 billion. The bridge would be the fourth spanning the Hooghly River, should it be approved. The most famous of the bridges spanning the Hooghly River is the historic Howrah Bridge. The other bridges are the Vidyasagar Setu and the Nivedita Setu.
