SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurated the longest road arch bridge in India -- the Wahrew Bridge at Tharia village in Meghalaya on Saturday.
Taking to his Twitter handle, the Chief Minister wrote, ''Inaugurated the longest road arch bridge in India, the Wahrew Bridge at Sohbar constructed at Rs 49.395 crore under NLCPR (Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources) of the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry, connecting Bholaganj and Sohbar to Nongjri. We dedicate this to the progress of the area.'' It is dedicated in the memory of late Dr Donkupar Roy.
Notably, the project was sanctioned in 2013 while work started in 2014 and was finally completed on December 2018.
Speaking to media, the Chief Minister said that the bridge is dedicated to the progress of the area and will will be a major boost to the Tourism sector in the State.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong asserted that the Sohbar Tharia Road under PMGSY will be completed in 2021; and to further improve connectivity in the Sohbar Tharia Road area, additional sanction for the border road connectivity, a work order will be given in the coming month for the road connecting Dawki-Lyngkhat and Tharia.
Earlier, the longest bridge over the Brahmaputra --the Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge -- which has been cleared for construction will connect Dhubri in Assam with Phulbari in Meghalaya. As per reports, the contract worth Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 crore was bagged by L&T Construction.
According to a statement from the L&T, the 19 km-long bridge will be built along National Highway 127-B and will feature a navigation bridge of 12.625 km, approach viaducts of 3.5 km on the Dhubri side in Assam and 2.2 km on the Phulbari side in Meghalaya, connected with approach roads and interchanges on both sides. (Agencies)