Guwahati: The construction of the new two-lane bridge project over the river Brahmaputra at Jogighopa in Lower Assam is nearly 45% complete, and the target for completion has been set for December 2025.
The new bridge is being constructed parallel to the existing Naranarayan Setu at Pancharatna, which is also a two-lane one. The government of India took the decision to construct the bridge in anticipation of increased traffic movement in the future. The project is part of the ongoing four-lane national highway (NH) project from Bilasipara to Guwahati Road on NH 17. The bridge project was taken up by the government of India, and its implementation was entrusted to the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL).
After the tendering process, the construction work was awarded by NHIDCL to SP Singla Private Ltd. in August 2021. The 4.38-km project was named ‘Construction of a new two-lane bridge with its approaches across the Brahmaputra River on NH 17 at Jogighopa.’ The total project cost was pegged at Rs 746.76 crore.
As of January 31, 2024, the project was almost 45% complete. However, the work is slightly lagging behind the original completion date. The original schedule for completion of the bridge was November 2024, which was later revised to December 2025.
The existing Naranarayan Setu is the third bridge to have been constructed over the Brahmaputra River in Assam. It is a double-deck bridge with a railway track on the lower deck and a road on the upper deck. It has a length of 2.28 kilometres and connects Jogighopa town in Bongaigaon District on the north with Pancharatna, a town in Goalpara District on the south. The bridge was inaugurated on April 15, 1998, by the then-Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The new upcoming bridge will benefit people in the entire Lower Assam area and the Garo Hills in Meghalaya.
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