Varanasi–Kolkata Expressway: New bridge over Hooghly River likely at Bagnan

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A new bridge is likely to be built over the Hooghly River in West Bengal as part of the Varanasi–Kolkata four-lane expressway project. Officials from the state Public Works Department (PWD) said the proposed structure will connect Bagnan in Howrah district with Pujali in South 24 Parganas on the opposite bank, The Indian Express reported.

The proposed bridge, according to officials, would become the fourth major crossing over the river. At present, Kolkata has three bridges spanning the Hooghly River — the iconic Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu), built before Independence; Vidyasagar Setu, connecting the city to NH-2 (Bombay Road); and Nivedita Setu, linking to NH-2 (Delhi Road).

A senior PWD official was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “Earlier, it was planned that the Varanasi-Kolkata expressway would enter West Bengal through Purulia and merge with Bombay Road at Bagnan. However, the state government proposed a revised plan to build a new bridge over the Hooghly connecting Bagnan to Kolkata at Pujali. The Centre has accepted this proposal, but the final alignment is yet to be decided.”

Replying to a recent query from BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed Parliament that land acquisition notifications had been issued in Purulia, Bankura, and Hooghly districts. However, the project’s progress has been delayed following the state government’s decision to revise the expressway’s alignment.

“The work of construction of the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway has been awarded in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, except at certain locations. The preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the stretch in West Bengal has also been awarded,” the union minister said in the Rajya Sabha.

Project to cut Varanasi–Kolkata travel time from 14 hours to just six

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing the project, while the West Bengal government is responsible for land acquisition. The 620-km-long expressway, estimated to cost around ₹35,000 crore, is expected to reduce travel time between Varanasi and Kolkata from 12–14 hours to about six hours.

The 620-km expressway, which will be built with an estimated cost of around Rs 35,000 crore, aims to cut travel time between Varanasi and Kolkata from 12–14 hours to around six hours. Besides this, the new expressway — along with the proposed bridge — will also ease traffic congestion on the existing Grand Trunk Road, a key corridor connecting Kolkata with Delhi.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in February last year, with completion initially targeted for March 2028. However, officials were quoted as saying that the change in alignment could extend the timeline by a year or more.