Hon’ble PM Modi inaugurate Bogibeel bridge

Dibrugarh, Metro Rail News: This Christmas Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates the completion of a Bogibeel Bridge project his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated 16 years ago.

All you need to know about Bogibeel Bridge

Bogibeel Bridge is India’s first and only fully welded bridge construction. Which combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra river in the state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district. The bridge has double rail line and 3 lane road on the upper deck, built 17km downstream of Dibrugarh in the south and Dehmaji to the river’s north, spans 4.98km, and emerges as a vital link between Assam and Arunachal. The bridge will provide connectivity to nearly 50 lakh people residing in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, giving direct access to north bank from the rest of the country. This is the 4th longest bridge in India after Dhola Sadiya Bridge, Bandra-Worli Sea Link and Mahatma Gandhi Setu.

The Bogibeel Bridge Now Open for Public Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurate India’s longest rail-cum-road Bogibeel bridge Today. The bridge is, in many ways, considered a dream come true for the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Tight security has been arranged on both sides of the bridge for the inaugural programme. The 4.94 km-long bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra river is situated 17 km downstream of upper Assam’s Dibrugarh city.

A historic day for the Northeast! Speaking at the inauguration of the Bogibeel Bridge. Watch. https://t.co/Y2L6Aos4zW

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2018

The Bogibeel bridge project was a part of Assam Accord 1985. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had laid the foundation stone of the bridge on January 22 in 1997. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had inaugurated the construction work of the bridge on April 21, 2002.

The project was initially sanctioned at a cost of Rs 3,230.02 crore and the final cost was revised to Rs 5,920 crore.

“Completing the Rs 5,900-crore project over two decades (the foundation was laid in 1997) has been but a daunting task, especially taming and bridging the unpredictable and flood-prone river during monsoons,” said Mahendra Singh, chief engineer, Northeast Frontier Railway’s Bogibeel project. The bridge built 17km downstream of Dibrugarh in the south and Dehmaji to the river’s north, spans 4.98km, and emerges as a vital link between Assam and Arunachal. “Once the bridge is opened, troops and supplies can move faster to Arunachal Pradesh, which is India’s eastern-most state sharing border with China,” said an Army official.

The bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours because all this time, one had to detour via Tinsukia covering an additional 170km. The current route through Guwahati in the south bank is long and torturous.

“Located just 20km away from the Assam-Arunachal border, it now becomes the most preferred alternative to the Kolia Bhomora Setu in Tezpur,” said Singh.

Bogibeel Bridge falls in Seismic Zone-V, which is most vulnerable to earthquakes with magnitudes more than 7.0. To offer good stability, the heavy spans (1,700MT) are provided with seismic restrainers.

Glimpse of Bogibeel Bridge Inugration