Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Kolkata to Howrah.
The bridge is a toll bridge for all vehicles. At a total length of 822.96 m, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia. It was built at a cost of Rs 388 crores and commissioned on October 10, 1992.
It was the second bridge to be built across the Hooghly River, after the Howrah Bridge (also known as Rabindra Setu) 12 kilometres to its south was built in 1943. The bridge is named after the 19th century Bengali educationist reformer Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
The bridge is a multi cable-stayed bridge (121 cables) with a fan arrangement built on steel pylons 127.62 metres (418.7 ft) in height. It has a composite steel-reinforced concrete deck having two carriage ways with a total width of 35 metres (115 ft), with 3 lanes each way and with a foot path of 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) on either side. The deck is over the main span of 457.20 metres (1,500.0 ft) length and two side spans of 182.88 metres (600.0 ft) each, supported by parallel wire cables. The bridge was designed by Schlaich Bergermann & Partner, checked by Freeman Fox & Partners and Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Limited. Construction was carried out by Gammon India Ltd.
 The best time to visit this majestic bridge is during the evening twilight. As you witness the red molten ball gracefully setting on the distant horizon and with dusk descending on the city-of-joy, the lights come on the entire Vidyasagar Setu stretch and it appears like a bejeweled bride with the glittering lights aesthetically revealing its surreal beauty.
There are a number of vantage positions on the middle of the bridge from where you can experience the magnificent sweep of the eternal Hooghly river as it meanders gracefully. At a distance, you will find a lonely boat with is sail fluttering, which makes for a kaleidoscopic vignette.
Source: Wikipedia
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