PM Modi inaugurates country's longest bridge in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated Dhola-Sadia Bridge across River Brahamputra in Purana Sadiya, Assam.

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 kms.

This new, three lane, 9.15 kilometre bridge has been built at a cost of about Rs 2,056 crore over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, linking Dhola in Assam to Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh.

"The bridge will fill a huge connectivity gap that has existed in the region. Till now, the only means to cross the Brahmaputra at this location has been by ferry only in day- time and even this was not possible during floods," the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.

The last bridge over the Brahmaputra was the Kalia Bhomora Bridge at Tejpur.

The 28.50 km long bridge is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. It has a three lane carriage way and connects Sadia town in Assam's Tinsukia district with Dhola village in Arunachal Pradesh across the river.

Bearing in mind the necessity for quick movement of troops and artillery to the bordering state of Arunachal, the bridge has been designed to accommodate the movement of tanks, according to official sources.