19 Facts About Bogibeel Bridge The Longest Rail-Cum-Road Bridge In India

India is the 7th largest country in the world, with an area of 3.287 million km². A wide network of roads and railways connect different parts of the country with each other. With improving technologies in the modern times, we are witnessing some amazing constructions and engineering genii in the shape of bridges, be it a road or a rail bridge. However, bringing together a rail and road bridge on a single structure, is something even more astounding. Today rail-road bridges are becoming a major part of Indian rail and road network, operating at the same time and connecting different cities. Bogibeel bridge is one such modern wonder which aims to do precisely the same.

Here are some interesting facts about the Bogibeel bridge the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India:

1. Foundation stone of Bogibeel bridge was laid way back in 1997 by the then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda

The Bogibeel bridge project was part of the 1985 Assam Accord and was one of the several infrastructure projects to be setup in Assam as per the pact.

2. The actual construction work could only begin in true earnest, in April 2002, during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Apart from being a victim of political unwillingness and red tape, a major reason for delay was due to the fact that work of the bridge could only happen during the five dry months of November to March.

3. Bogibeel bridge was granted a national project status by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007

Ministry of Finance has funded 75% of the project while Ministry of Railways has financed the remaining.

4. The longest rail-cum-road bridge in India

Length of Bogibeel Bridge is 4.94 km over the mighty Brahmaputra, Bogibeel is also Asia’s second longest railroad connector and 4th longest bridge in India after Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Assam), Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Bihar) and Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Mumbai). The bridge is 32 metres above the water level of Brahmaputra.

5. Bogibeel connects the North bank of Brahmaputra river to its South bank via road

Located 17 km downstream of Dirbugarh, it will connect the town of Dhemaji (north of Brahmaputra) to Dibrugarh (south of Brahmaputra). The bridge also cuts down the distance between the two by about 400 km.

6. A double decker in purpose, Bogibeel acts out dual roles

The bridge has a two line broad gauge railway track in the lower deck while the top deck has a three lane road. It has a lifespan of 120 years and is adequately instrumented to monitor its fatigue resistance and other important parameters.

7. Bogibeel is designed like the Oresund railroad bridge which connects Sweden to Denmark

It is India’s first and only fully welded bridge, completely complying with European codes and welding standards. State of the art machinery and welding equipment were used for the execution of welding work This would also result in low maintenance cost of the bridge.

8. India’s only bridge that is made entirely of Steel – Concrete Composite Girders

Situated in an earthquake prone area, Bogibeel can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes of up to 7 Richter Scale. It spans 125m and has strong box-type built-in sections. The bridge is supported on well foundations and 42 piers.

9. Bogibeel has tremendous significance for India’s defence

With its proximity to China border it significantly fulfills the geo strategic needs of the country. It will enhance national security of the eastern region by facilitating the Army with a swift movement of the troops and other logistical support along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. The project was given a National Project Status by the Government of India in 2007.

10. A superstructure in every true sense of the word

Bogibeel has been built so strong that it can support movement of heavy armored tanks on it, and if required, can even act as an airstrip for fighter jet landings.

11. Constructed at a cost of INR 5,920 crores, the project witnessed huge cost and time overruns

The cost of Bogibeel bridge, initially estimated to be at INR 1,767 crore (US $250 million), escalated 3 folds to INR 4,996 crores (US $700 million) in 2014.

12. Gammon India was given contract to construct the sub-structure of the bridge by Northeast Frontier Railway

While a consortium of Hindustan Construction Company, DSD Brückenbau GmbH, Germany and VNR Infrastructures won the bid to build the superstructure.

13. Bogibeel will save significant rail and road travel time easing out a lot of inconvenience

Road distance between Dibrugarh and Itanagar will be reduced by 150 km and railway travel distance between these two points will shorten by 705 km. It will provide a shorter route from Dibrugarh through north bank of Brahmaputra via Rangia, reducing the distance by 170 km, while the distance between Dibrugarh and Guwahati via Moranhat will be shortened by 55 km. The bridge will cut down train travel time between Delhi and Dibrugarh by 3 hours and between Tinsukia (Assam) and Naharlagun town (Arunachal Pradesh) by 10 hours!

14. The bridge will also link two existing National Highways – NH-37 on the south bank and NH-52 on the North Bank

Residents of the remote districts of Anjaw, Changlang, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley and Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh will also be hugely benefited.

15. One of the biggest challenges was the transportation of concrete across river channels of 600 meter to 900-meter width.

To overcome this, concrete was pumped through pipeline laid over buoys.

16. The project took 30 lakh bags of cement – enough to fill more than 41 Olympic swimming pools

19,250 metres of reinforcement steel was used to build the superstructure, which is more than twice the height of Mount Everest.

17. A row had erupted between different indigenous groups, over naming of the bridge

The ethnic Chutiya (pronounced Sutiya) community wanted to name the bridge after their last dynasty queen Sati Sadhani. The Ahom organization demanded naming the bridge after the Ahom dynasty founder Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pah. The Deuri community sought the bridge be named after their leader Bhimbor Deuri. A section of BJP leaders demanded that the bridge be named Atal Setu, after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

18. The actual work on the bridge only began in 2011

Even though the project was sanctioned in 1997, it took 200 months to complete the construction of the bridge.

19. On December 25, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the bridge to the nation

Coinciding with the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

As Indians we are proud of all the engineers and workers who accomplished this herculean task. Bogibeel is a lifeline to the North-East region and will meritoriously serve India in the years to come.