Bogibeel, Asia’s second longest rail-cum-road bridge that was opened to traffic by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2018, has a serviceable period of around 120 years. The 4.9 km-long Bogibeel on the Bramhaputra is India’s only fully welded bridge for which european codes and welding standards were adhered to for the first time in the country, said the Bogibeel project’s Chief Engineer Mohinder Singh. The bridge, constructed at an estimated cost of ₹5,900 crore, has a “serviceable period of around 120 years”, Mr. Singh said. The bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours and will cut out the detour of over 170 km via Tinsukia. It will also reduce Delhi to Dibrugarh train-travel time by about three hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours presently.
The massive structure was born “small” on paper – a scribbled note in Parliament after a dramatic display of anger – 22 years ago.