PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate Dhola-Sadiya, India's longest bridge today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of third anniversary of his government, will inaugurate a number of projects on Friday, including the country's longest bridge, in Assam.

PM Modi took charge on May 26, 2014, after leading the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) to a stunning victory in Lok Sabha elections.

Referring to the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, PM Modi said, "This is one of the most important infrastructure projects in our nation."

The 9.15-km long bridge will reduce the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh from six hours to just one hour as the distance will shrink by 165 km. It will serve 2,20,000 people in the region covered.

The three-lane, 9.15 kilometre Dhola-Sadiya bridge has been built over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, and links Dhola in Assam to Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge is 3.55 kilometres longer than the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai.

In Assam, the bridge is located in Sadia, 540 kilometres from Guwahati. Its other end is in Dhola, 300 kilometres from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal.

The bridge will facilitate movement of Indian forces and can withstand the weight of 60-tonne battle tanks.

Steel Authortiy of India has supplied around 90 per cent, or around 30,000 tonnes of steel, including TMT, structurals and plates, for the bridge.

Its construction started in 2011. The approximate cost of the project is around Rs 950 crore. It falls under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in public-private partnership (PPP) with Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd.