Construction of Ganga Bridge Almost Complete, Testing to Begin in September.

The much-awaited 9.9-km six-lane Ganga bridge connecting Stanley Road with Malak Harhar is nearing completion, with construction work reaching around 94% progress. Vehicle trials on the bridge are expected to begin in September, subject to weather conditions and the impact of possible flooding in the Ganga.

The bridge, being constructed under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is among the key infrastructure projects in the city and is expected to provide an alternative route for traffic heading towards Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur and Ayodhya. More than 5 km of the total stretch runs directly over the Ganga.

The project, which began in February 2021, has entered the final phase with work on cross barriers and bitumen laying currently underway. Project officials said work on the remaining five segments is almost complete and efforts are now focused on finishing activities.

Project Director Sunil Singla said around 94% of the construction work has been completed and the remaining work is expected to take about one-and-a-half months.

According to the construction schedule, trial runs for vehicles are likely to commence in September after the completion of pending works. Following successful trials, the bridge is expected to be handed over to the district administration by October for opening to traffic.Officials, however, said rising water levels in the Ganga during the monsoon could temporarily slow down construction activities. Flooding may pose challenges for workers and affect some finishing works, though the project agency remains hopeful of meeting the revised timeline.

Once operational, the bridge is expected to reduce congestion on existing routes, particularly the Phaphamau bridge and roads towards Teliarganj, which frequently experience heavy traffic movement.

To improve connectivity to the new bridge, the district administration has proposed a nearly 2-km elevated road from Kalash Crossing on Stanley Road to the UPPSC crossing. The planned link is aimed at ensuring smoother traffic flow and preventing congestion on the busy Stanley Road corridor after the bridge opens.