India’s leading engineering and construction company, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has secured a large contract to construct the country’s longest road bridge across the river Brahmaputra, connecting Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalaya. The project is being financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and will be executed by L&T Construction, the construction arm of L&T.
Project Details
The bridge will be 19 km long and will have four lanes. It will feature Extradosed Spans of 125 meters for 12.63 km, a 60 meter Approach Viaduct of 5.74 km and an approach road of almost a km. It is expected to be completed by 2026-27. The project cost is estimated at Rs 3,166 crore.
The bridge will be built along National Highway 127-B and will reduce the detouring road distance by about 203 km from Dhubri to Phulbari, which lie on either side of the Brahmaputra before it flows into Bangladesh. Currently, those who travel across these states either take the Naranarayan bridge, which is 60 km upstream, or row across the river in small boats, which can take about two-and-a-half hours.
Strategic and Economic Significance
The bridge will have huge strategic and economic significance as it will improve the connectivity of the North Eastern states with the rest of the nation. It will also facilitate trade and commerce with neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. It will boost tourism, agriculture and industrial development in the region.
The bridge will also enhance the national security as it will enable faster movement of troops and equipment to the border areas. It will also provide an alternative route in case of any disruption or blockade on the existing bridges.
L&T’s Expertise
L&T has a proven track record of executing complex and challenging infrastructure projects in India and abroad. It has successfully completed several landmark bridges such as the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra, the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, the Chenab railway bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, the Signature bridge in Delhi and the Dhola-Sadiya bridge over Lohit river in Assam.
L&T is also involved in other major projects in Northeast India such as the Pakyong airport in Sikkim, the Jiribam-Imphal railway line in Manipur, the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project in Mizoram and Myanmar, and the Numaligarh refinery expansion project in Assam.
L&T’s chairman AM Naik said that the company is proud to be associated with this prestigious project that will bring a paradigm shift in the development of Northeast India. He said that L&T is committed to delivering world-class engineering solutions that meet the highest standards of quality, safety and sustainability.
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