Man Made Marvel Revealed- Bogibeel Bridge of Assam

The year 2018 witnessed two phenomenal Indian architectural wonders – The Statue of Unity, which is the tallest statue in the world! And the Bogibeel Bridge of Assam – India’s longest and Asia’s second longest road cum rail bridge. Constructed on the river Brahmaputra, the Bogibeel bridge will connect about 5 million people living in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Have a look at the must-know facts about the iconic Bogibeel Bridge.

The Bogibeel bridge connects the Assamese towns of Dibrugarh and Dhemaji, both located on the banks of river Brahmaputra. It is 4.94 kilometers long and has two road lanes and two rail tracks.

Image by Vikramjit Kakati – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

The bridge comprises fully welded steel and concrete support beams. This structure makes the bridge capable to withstand earthquakes of up to 7 Ritcher scale magnitude. Being close to the Indo-China border, the Bogibeel bridge is also strategically important to the nation.

The Bogibeel project was first ideated under the Assam Accord of 1985. However, it’s construction began in 2002 and with slow construction, it finally became accessible to the public in December 2018. The construction cost for this bridge is approximately ₹58 billion.

11 Quick Facts about the Bogibeel Bridge Assam

1. Bogibeel bridge is constructed on the river Brahmaputra
2. It is India’s longest road cum rail bridge
3. Its length is 4.94 kilometers
4. The Bogibeel bridge can withstand earthquakes of up to 7 Ritcher scale magnitude
5. The expected lifespan of the Bogibeel bridge is 120 years
6. The Bogibeel bridge connects the Dibrugarh and Dhemaji towns of Assam
7. The bridge will reduce Assam-Arunachal Pradesh travel time by up to 4 hours
8. The construction for this bridge started in the year 2002 during the tenure of the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
9. It took 200 months for Bogibeel bridge’s construction
10. The cost of construction for this bridge sums up to INR 58 billion
11. The bridge was inaugurated on December 25, 2018, by the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on the occasion of Good Governance day.

Also check out our Assam Diaries compilation.