Bogibeel, Asia’s second longest rail-cum-road bridge that was opened to traffic by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2018, has a serviceable period of around 120 years. The 4.9 km-long Bogibeel on the Bramhaputra is India’s only fully welded bridge for which european codes and welding standards were adhered to for the first time in the country, said the Bogibeel project’s Chief Engineer Mohinder Singh. The bridge, constructed at an estimated cost of ₹5,900 crore, has a “serviceable period of around 120 years”, Mr. Singh said. The bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours and will cut out the detour of over 170 km via Tinsukia. It will also reduce Delhi to Dibrugarh train-travel time by about three hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours presently.
The massive structure was born “small” on paper – a scribbled note in Parliament after a dramatic display of anger – 22 years ago.
The Bogibeel, India’s longest rail-road bridge that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2018, was born “small” on paper – a scribbled note in Parliament after a dramatic display of anger – 22 years ago.
The bridge, constructed at an estimated cost of ₹5,920 crore , has a “serviceable period of around 120 years”, according to the project’s Chief Engineer Mohinder Singh. The bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours and will cut out the detour of over 170 km via Tinsukia.
The bridge has a two-line railway track on the lower deck and a three-lane road on the top deck. For the first time in Indian Railways, the girder has steel floor system for railway tracks and concrete for road. It will also reduce Delhi to Dibrugarh train travel time by about three hours from the present 37 hours.
The Bogibeel is India’s only fully-welded bridge for which European codes and welding standards were adhered to for the first time in the country. A fully welded bridge has a low maintenance cost, according to the project’s Chief Engineer.
Boatmen ferrying hundreds of people daily across the Brahmaputra fear that the Bogibeel will affect their livelihood. Over 40 boats operate from the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra, ferrying not just people but also two-wheelers and cars. Of these, two are operated by the state government, while the rest are privately owned.
Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has supplied around 35,400 metric tonnes of steel for the construction of the bridge. The quantity, it said, is little over 50% of the total steel supplied for the bridge.
Published - December 25, 2018 03:32 pm IST