The bridge was approved in 1996 and was initiated by the BJP-led NDA government in 2002. In 2007, it was declared a national project by the Congress-led UPA government. (Express file photo)
Bogibeel, India’s longest road-rail bridge connecting Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, is likely to be inaugurated later this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The construction of the bridge will be a major boost to improve logistical issues for the armed forces along the border in Arunachal Pradesh as India shares a nearly 4,000 km border with China. This includes the construction of a trans-Arunachal highway on the north bank of the Brahmaputra and new road and rail links over the mighty river and its major tributaries.
While all the civil work would be completed by July this year, two more months would be needed to finish the electrical and signalling work on the bridge, said Mahender Singh, chief engineer, construction, Bogibeel project.
Here are five things you should know about the bridge:
1. The bridge is 4.94 km long and 32 metres above the water level of the Brahmaputra.
2. It has been fashioned on a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark.
3. The bridge, which is the second longest in Asia, has three-lane roads on top and double line rail below.
4. Currently, the train journey via Guwahati takes 37 hours. With the bridge in place, the journey between Dibrugarh and Delhi will be shorter by three hours come year-end.
5. The other alternative is ferry service which often remains disrupted for six months due to monsoons. With the bridge, it will take around five minutes.