44% construction of Dhubri-Phulbari project completed in Assam

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The construction work on the much-anticipated four-lane Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge over the River Brahmaputra, including the approach roads, has touched the 44% completion mark.

The Government of India has set a target of completion of the whole project on or before September 2028. This project is crucial for road communication in the lower Assam districts and the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.

The bridge project will connect Dhubri on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra with Phulbari in Meghalaya on the south bank of the river on NH 127 B. Currently, only river vessels, like boats and ferries, operate between the two places on opposite sides of the Red River. In case anyone now wants to travel by road from Dhubri to Phulbari or vice versa, as well as to Mankachar and South Salmara in south-western Assam, they have to travel via the Goalpara district, which increases travel time by several hours. After completion of the bridge, travel time between the two points will be cut down to just 35-40 minutes.

The central government had entrusted the execution of the work on the bridge to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL). After completion of the tendering process, the New Delhi office of NHIDCL awarded the construction work to Larsen & Toubro Heavy Civil Infrastructure IC Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T) in November 2020.

The total length of the entire project, including the approach roads, is 19.282 km, with a sanctioned amount of Rs 4,997 crore. The actual length of the portion of the bridge over the Brahmaputra is 12.625 km. After mobilizing machinery and manpower, work was started by L&T in the first half of 2021. The construction company had to face innumerable challenges while executing the work, as the Brahmaputra River is notorious for its swift currents on the water surface as well as below it.

According to NHIDCL sources, as of January 31, 2024, the cumulative physical progress on the four-lane bridge project touched 44%.

Among the various road and bridge projects being implemented in the state by the Government of India, this project has the highest sanctioned amount, the sources added.

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