India's longest river bridge to connect Assam & Meghalaya

The Government of India has announced plans to build India's longest river bridge across the Brahmaputra river in North Eastern India. The bridge will be 19.3 km long and will connect Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya, near the Bangladesh border. It is expected to be completed by 2026-27.

According to a media report, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is currently preparing a detailed project report. The initial loan for the project has already been approved by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The plan is to build a 4-lane bridge in an attempt to reduce the travel time between the two towns. At present, people cross the river using small boats, while vehicles have to take a detour of 100 km over the Naranarayan bridge. 

The new bridge across the Brahmaputra river will be longer than the current longest bridge in India - the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, which measures 9.15 km in length. It is built across the same river and is located in the state of Assam. If the approach roads are considered, the bridge spans 28.50 km and reduces the distance between Rupai in Assam and Roing in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 km, while the travel time has been reduced from 6 hours to just 1 hour.

Source: Financial Express