The Mahatma Gandhi Setu, completed in 1982, was the longest river bridge in the world when it opened. It connects Patna to Hajipur on the north bank, spanning the Ganges at one of its widest points. The four-lane bridge was for years an essential link for traffic between Bihar's two main population centres.
Decades of overload damaged the original concrete spans, and from 2017 the bridge was gradually rebuilt in steel; the second carriageway reopened in 2022. Crossing the bridge in a shared autorickshaw at dawn or sunset gives some of the best views in Patna. The view is mainly of the river, the sandbanks, and on a clear winter morning, the Himalayan foothills far to the north.