7 Things About Dhola-Sadiya Bridge

Inaugurating the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge on May 26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the bridge will be named the Bhupen Hazarika Setu, renowned Assamese singer, who was born in Sadiya. "This bridge will not only save time and money but also being about an economic revolution in the country," Modi said after the inaugurating.

Here are seven things that you need to know about the bridge:

• It was in August 2003 that the Road Transport and Highways Ministry cleared a feasibility study to construct the bridge. However, the construction work started only in 2011. The government had set 2015 as the deadline for completing the project.

• The state-of-the-art bridge has been constructed at a total cost of Rs 2,056 crore, as part of the Arunachal Package of Roads and Highways, and is said to be capable of withstanding the burden of 60-tonne battle tank.

• The bridge is located 540 km away from Assam capital Dispur and 300 kms from Arunachal capital Itanagar.

• The three-lane 9.15-kilometre bridge has been built over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, and would link Dhola to Sadiya in Assam. However, the total length of the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge project, including the approach roads on each side, is 28.50 kms.

• Till now, the only means of crossing the Brahmaputra at this location were ferries. The ferry services could be used only during the day-time. Now, the bridge will ensure seamless connectivity between upper parts of Assam and eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh.

• This is the fourth bridge to be built on the Brahmaputra. The last bridge to be constructed over the river was the Kalia Bhomora Bridge in Tejpur. There are two other bridges on the Brahmaputra, Saraighat and Bogibeel. The latter is yet to be completed.

• The bridge will also reduce the distance from Rupai on the National Highway (NH)-37 in Assam to Meka/Roing on the NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 kms. The travel time between the two places will come down from the current six hours to just one hour. This, according to government estimates, will result in saving of petrol and diesel worth Rs 10 lakh per day.

Also Read: Asia's Longest Bridge Being Constructed Over River Brahmaputra