Bogibeel – India’s Longest Road-Rail Bridge o Be Inaugurated By Year-End
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country’s longest road and rail bridge connecting Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh by the end of the year.
While the construction-related work will be completed by the end of July, electrical and signalling work on the bridge will require two more months. The bridge is 4.94 km long and 32 metres above the water level of the Brahmaputra river.
The bridge, which is the second longest in Asia, has three lane roads on top and double line rail below.
India and China share a nearly 4,000 km border, with almost 75 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh. As of now, the rail and road link to Arunachal is through three Assam bridges — Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district, Saraighat near Guwahati, and Kolia-Bhomora between Sonitpur and Nagaon.
This means that a cargo from Dibrugarh in the north-eastern corner of Assam takes over a 600 km detour merely to cross the Brahmaputra.
The other alternative is crossing by ferry, but it is not suitable for heavy cargo and due to monsoons for six months between May-October, ferry services often remain disrupted.
“Now, to go from Dibrugarh to Arunachal Pradesh by train, one has to go via Guwahati with more than 500 km detour. With this bridge, the journey will be less than 100 km,” said Singh.
Approval for the bridge was granted in 1996 and construction was initiated in 2002 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government. Apart from bringing economic benefits for the region, the bridge will serve an important purpose for the armed forces. It will enable troops stationed at the China border to get supplies from Tezpur.
ALSO READ : Uber to work with NASA on manned urban flying cars
