PM to inaugurate Bogibeel bridge today
New Delhi: The national Capital is now connected with North-East through shorter way with the new awaited Bogibeel bridge in Assam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the longest rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra river on the birth anniversary of the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee — under whose government the work had started in 2002.
He will also flag off the first passenger train to run through the bridge and it will be open to the public on the same day. The bridge is an alternate from Dibrugarh with Delhi and Kolkata via Rangiya in 170 km shorter route.
It is situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh city in the state of Assam and to connect the north and south banks of river Brahmaputra. Even it connects both NH-37 and NH-52, having a total length of 4.94 km.
The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has supplied around 35,400 metric tonnes of steel, little more than 50 per cent of the total quantity for the Bogibeel bridge. It has further supplied TMT rebars, plates and structural.
The remote districts of Anjaw, Changlang, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley and Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh will be greatly benefitted with the latest alternate connectivity. Reportedly, the sanctioned estimated cost of the Project was Rs 3,230.02 crore. The revised estimate of the project amounts to Rs 4,857 crore which has been approved and sanctioned by the Railway Board to cover escalation and increased bridge length. Dibrugarh to Itanagar distance will be reduced by 150 km and the railway travel distance between these two points will be reduced by 705 km.
The new Bogibeel bridge has composite welded steel truss girders in its structures. SAIL had supplied 90 per cent steel for the construction of the Dhola-Sadiyabridge, which is India's longest bridge.
