NHIDCL launches road-cum-bridge worth ₹3,600-cr in Assam

In order to boost road connectivity in the State, NHIDCL unveils twin proposals for a portion of the newly envisioned 40-km four-lane road-cum-bridge project starting from Gohpur to Numaligarh in Assam. The combined project, which involved an investment of ₹3,600 crore, entailed the construction of a bridge with over the 10-km stretch of the Brahmaputra while the other is to build an underneath tunnel. The highway will be connecting NH-52 (from Gohpur on the North bank) with NH-37 (at Numaligarh on the south bank). From Kaliabor Tinali, the four-lane highway from Nagaon to Dibrugarh will move towards the northern side via Dolabari to Gohpur, said, NHIDCL Executive Director (NE) Ajay Ahluwalia, adding that the agency has forwarded both the proposals to the MoRTH to secure the mandatory approval as the alignment of these roads has been already finalized. The original plan was to construct a 10-km bridge over the river connecting the four lanes as well as the 30-km road portion, however at a later stage, the consultant mooted an alternative plan to construct a tunnel on the river stretch. According to the feasibility reports on both the proposals, the construction of the tunnel will be costlier than the bridge; the former will take less time than the latter.