Atal Setu, Sikkim

Atal Setu Bridge is located at Rangpo, Pakyong district, Sikkim. It is the longest roadway bridge of Sikkim. It was inaugurated by Honourable President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu on 4 November 2022. It is constructed by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). The 1,123 m long bridge over River Rangpo lies on National Highway 10 and connects Pakyong District of Sikkim with Kalimpong district of West Bengal. The construction was started on 20 Nov 2017; the completion was slated on 20 Feb 2020 but due to certain circumstances and Covid pandemic, construction work took a little more time.

This bridge is also known as Rangpo IBM bridge.[1] [2][3][4] This bridge constructed on Viaduct Engineering concept has 18 modules (slabs) glued to one another from either side making it tensile enough to face 8 to 9 Richter Scale Earthquake because Sikkim lies in seismic zone 5. The bridge has two lanes - one in either direction - and has footpath on both sides. The cost of the project was Rs.56 Crore approximately.[5]