Assam's Guwahati gets Mumbai 'Marine Drive-like' elevated corridor

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the elevated corridor of the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge on Monday. The bridge, built with noise-barrier technology, is located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River. The Chief Minister addressed the public, stating that the newly opened stretch will provide a 'Marine Drive-like' experience.

The 1.5-km long segment of the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 326 crore. It aims to improve connectivity between Bhootnath and Machkhowa by diverting traffic over the river. The construction of the six-lane bridge began in 2019 with a total project cost of Rs 2,608 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the bridge in February 2019. However, progress was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, the bridge is 82% complete, and the Chief Minister expects it to open by December.

SP Singla Pvt Ltd is responsible for the construction of the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge, while a Brazilian company is supervising the project. The elevated corridor will alleviate congestion along the 3-kilometer Bhootnath-Machkhowa stretch of the MG Road. Traffic coming from the Jalukbari end will be diverted to the elevated corridor at Bhootnath, allowing them to reach the MG Road at Machkhowa. Vehicles traveling from the Panbazar end will continue to use the existing MG Road to head towards Jalukbari. Both roads will become one-way starting from Tuesday.


The Chief Minister emphasized that the elevated corridor was constructed using noise-barrier technology to minimize disturbance to the Sonaram HS School at Bharalu. He assured that the students' learning environment will not be affected by the vehicle movement through the corridor.

In addition to the bridge inauguration, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a trumpet interchange at Gauripur on the north bank. This interchange will help alleviate potential traffic congestion and has a project cost of Rs 407 crore.