On completing three years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge over the Brahmaputra river in Assam on 26 May, renaming it the Bhupen Harazika Bridge, after the Northeast’s beloved singer.
At 9.15 kilometres long, the Bhupen Hazarika bridge is all set to top the list of India’s 10 longest bridges. Here’s the rundown:
1.
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The Bhupen Hazarika (Dhola-Sadiya) bridge is around 30% longer than the Bandra-Worli Sea link in Mumbai, the next-longest bridge in India. The construction of the bridge, located close to the Indo-China border, began in 2011 with a budget of Rs 950 crore. It is built over the Lohit river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, and will reduce the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by up to four hours. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said:
The bridge will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as it will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides the defence forces extensively.
According to news reports, the bridge can also withstand the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank.
2.
Completed in 2009, T=the bridge was built over a period of ten years. With a budget of $325 million, the Bandra-Worli sea link was built to ease traffic congestion in Mumbai.
3.
The bridge was constructed in 1982 and connects Patna in the south to Hajipur in the north of Bihar.
4.
Completed in 2011, this fourth-longest bridge in the country is meant only for freight. It connects Edappally and Vallarpadam in Kochi, and is the longest railway bridge in India.
5.
Completed in 2001, the bridge connects Bhagalpur (south) to Naugachia (north).
6.
The Digha-Sonpur rail-cum-road bridge connects Digha Ghat in Patna and Pahleja Ghat in Sonpur, Saran district, Bihar. It was inaugurated in 2016 and provides an easy roadway and railway link between the northern and southern parts of Bihar.
7.
Munger Ganga Bridge is a rail-road bridge located in Munger, Bihar. It is the third rail-cum-road bridge over Ganga in Bihar and was inaugurated in 2016.
8.
Jawahar Setu bridge is across the Son river, between Dehri-on-Son and Son Nagar, in Bihar. It was named after the first PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru and inaugurated in 1965.
9.
The Kolia Bhomora Setu bridge connects Sonitpur on the north bank with Nagaon district on the south bank, and was inaugurated in 1987. It took six years to construct the bridge, which has been a boon to the Northeast’s development.
10.
The rail-road bridge was mainly constructed for trains running between Chennai and Howrah, and was inaugurated in 1970.
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