Pontoon bridge near Gandhi setu to reopen for vehicles from Dec 1

PATNA: A pontoon bridge will be readied underneath the Mahatma Gandhi Setu for movement of light vehicles from December 1 .
The 2.1km pontoon bridge’s approach road will start from the Alamganj police station on Patna side and the Gandhi setu police station in Hajipur. It will have one-way traffic and the light vehicles will be allowed to move on it alternatively from either side.
Sources recalled this pontoon bridge was put in place in February in view of the ongoing rehabilitation work of Gandhi setu.However, it was dismantled in June owing to rise in the Ganga’s water level in the rains.
Meanwhile, two-wheelers plying on the Gandhi setu’s pavement as well as those overtaking on the Gandhi setu will be fined Rs 600 from Friday. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting between the Patna traffic police and Vaishali Police.
Overtaking by four-wheelers is already banned on the setu.
Patna SP (traffic) Prantosh Kumar Das told TOI the decision to regulate the movement of two-wheelers was taken in view of the resumption of movement of trucks on the dilapidated Gandhi setu from December 1.
“Barricades will be put up on the setu pavement after every four pillars and around 100 boys of the community police will stand all along to keep a watch on the two-wheelers plying on the pavement. The policemen will use WhatsApp and walkie-talkies to keep a tab on them and nab the offenders,” Das said.
As for overtaking by two-wheelers, the SP (traffic) said, since the vehicles move mostly on one lane owing to the repair work, two-wheelers moving through the narrow spaces between two heavy vehicles might get crushed. “We will also release a WhatsApp number, on which occupants of other vehicles can inform us about the overtaking two-wheelers,” he said.
The setu is being rehabilitated by AFCON Infrastructure Ltd, which has been selected by Union ministry of road, transport and highways for executing the ambitious project as a joint venture with Sibmost.
The Union cabinet on July 22 last year approved the setu rehabilitation at an estimated cost of Rs 1,742.01 crore. Of this total, a sum of Rs 237 crore is to be spent on dismantling the structure that would be replaced by a steel framework.
The rehabilitation work commenced on November 11 last year and is scheduled to be completed by May 18, 2020.