Thursday 6 October 2011

Hooghly Bridge in Kolkata- Day 2

We were curious to see Howrah Bridge and our driver first took us to Second Hooghly Bridge constructed across River Hooghly. He said it is the new suspension bridge, also known as Vidyasagar Setu, is located 2 km to the south of Howrah Bridge. It is named after Bengali reformer Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Hooghly Bridge
Hooghly Bridge seen from Prinsep Memorial
This is also known as Golden Gate Bridge and connects the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah. With nine lanes of traffic routes, the bridge is supposedly capable of handling more than 85,000 vehicles every day. The construction work took 22 years and it was thrown open to traffic in 1992. It is one of the most sophisticated engineering marvels and the world’s third largest cable-stayed bridge. At a total length of 822.96 metre, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia. Supported by 121 wire cables, it is 457 metre long and 115 metre wide. This graceful structure stands on four pylons, on a foundation that is 100 m. deep.
Hooghly bridge seen from Prinsep Ghat
The bridge offered us a panoramic view of the Calcutta skyline. Did I forget to mention that it is a toll bridge? Yes, it is! Then we went to see Howrah Bridge. I was eager to see Howrah Bridge as Vij used to tell me how traffic was jammed when they were shooting an ad for a steel company there.

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