Shillong, Nov 22: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma today said that the longest bridge in India that connects Phulbari in West Garo Hills to Dhubri in Assam will be a major boost for enhancing connectivity in Northeast.
The proposed 18 Km-long bridge will be one of #India‘s Longest Road Bridges that will connect #Meghalaya closer to #Assam. A major boost to #NorthEast‘s transport connectivity. @DrJitendraSingh https://t.co/HgT8IYcaBU
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) November 22, 2020
L&T will be constructing the bridge, which is expected to be completed by 2026-27. The four lane bridge will be built along the NH-127 – B. The 19.3 km long bridge will be built over the Brahmaputa river.
The proposed bridge is considered strategic as it connect the state of Assam and Meghalaya. This bridge will reduce the distance between the two States by over 203 km.
Currently, those who travel across these states either take the Naranarayan bridge, which is a huge inconvenience as it is 60 km upstream, or, alternatively, row across the river in small boats, which takes about 2 ½ hours.
In monsoon, the journey by boat is considered risky. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) had proposed the bridge about 5 years ago.
The total capital cost of the project is about Rs 4,997.04 cr which includes a land-acquisition and resettlement cost of Rs 55.68 crore.
On the Dhubri side (North Bank), the approach – which includes an embankment and viaduct – will be around 4.3 km, while that on the Phulbari side (South Bank) will be around 2.3 km.
The navigation portion of the bridge – above the water – will be 12.6 km long. Around 103.78 hectares of land will have to be acquired for construction of the bridge.
