The process of land acquisition to construct roads to facilitate the free flow of traffic on India’s longest bridge, to be built over the mighty Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya has started in full swing. This 20-km-long bridge that will reduce a 203-km-long road distance to a mere 19.3 km, will be a four-lane bridge and is estimated to be completed by 2026-27. To maintain free flow of traffic on this bridge and to utilise it to the maximum, the Ministry of Highways has taken up two different approach roads– the National Highway 127B and to develop the existing Dhubri-Kochugaon road. The bridge is estimated to cost more than Rs 4000 crore.
It may be mentioned that the Japanese funding agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has approved a loan for the construction of this bridge and the National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is looking after the entire work.
