With the inauguration of Dhola-Sadiya bridge, the road connectivity in north-eastern part of the country is all set to witness a major transformation. The 9.15 kilometre-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge will reduce the travel time between Assam (from Rupai) and Arunachal Pradesh (to Meka/Roing) by around five hours. The bridge will reduce the distance from Rupai on NH-37 in Assam to Meka/Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 KM. The reduction in distance will result in the travel time between the two places coming down from the current six hours to just one hour.
Dhola-Sadiya bridge
This will lead to the saving of petrol and diesel worth Rs 10 lakh per day, according to a statement by the Ministry of Shipping.
This new, three-lane bridge has been built at a cost of about Rs 2,056 crore over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, linking Dhola in Assam to Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh.
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The Dhola-Sadiya bridge promises to usher in prosperity in the North-East as it will provide efficient road connectivity to remote and backward areas which have poor road infrastructure.
This bridge will also give a major boost to overall economic development of the areas north of Brahmaputra in upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Dhola-Sadiya bridge
The central government has pointed out that the Dhola-Sadiya bridge will also cater to the strategic requirements of the country in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh, besides facilitating numerous hydro power projects coming up in the state, as it is the most sought-after route for various power project developers.
The total length of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge project, including the approach roads on each side, is 28.50 km. The length of the bridge itself is 9.15 km.
The bridge has been constructed on BOT (build, operate, transfer) annuity basis at a total cost of Rs 2,056 crore, as part of the Arunachal Package of Roads and Highways under the Ministry’s Special Accelerated Road Develoopment Programme for North East (SARDP-NE).
“The bridge will fill a huge connectivity gap that has existed in the region. Till now, the only means to cross the Brahmaputra at this location has been by ferry only in day- time and even this was not possible during floods,” the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.
The last bridge over the Brahmaputra was the Kalia Bhomora Bridge at Tejpur.
“This will, however, change from tomorrow with the Dhola- Sadiya bridge ensuring 24X7 connectivity between upper Assam and eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh,” it added.
The statement further said that the objective behinf the construction of this bridge was to bring the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh closer to each other.
(With agency inputs)
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