UPSC Express

About Bogibeel Bridge

• The Bogibeel double-deck bridge is a rail-road bridge across Brahmaputra River connecting Dibrugarh in Assam and Dehmaji in Assam.
• The 4.94 km long bridge is the longest rail-road bridge in India.
• The longest road bridge on Brahmaputra is the 9.15 km Dhola-Sadiya Bridge.
• The double-deck bridge will have a three-lane road in the upper deck and a 74 km two-line railway track in the lower deck.
• The 3-lane road will be connected to the NH37 on the south bank of the Brahmaputra and to the NH52 on the north bank.
• Further Bogibeel rail-road bridge is the fourth being built on Brahmaputra, the other three being :
  • Pandu Saraighat
  • Kolia-Bjumuraguri
  • Naranarayan Setu at Jogighopa

Significance

• Boost to development of North-eastern region
  • The Bridge will provide rail and road connectivity between the lesser developed districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It will provide direct access to the districts of Upper Assam from the rest of the country through the North bank.
  • Connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh will give a fillip to the tourist industry.
• Connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh
  • Currently a cargo from Dibrugarh in the north-eastern corner of Assam takes over a 600 km detour merely to cross the Brahmaputra via Guwahati.
  • With this bridge, the journey will be less than 100 km.
  • Besides this will solve the problems associated with ferry services namely
  • Ferry services are often disrupted during monsoon between May-October.
  • Further ferry services are not suitable for heavy cargo
• Strategic significance
  • The project will give a major boost to defence logistics along the border with China.
  • India and China share a nearly 4,000 km border and a considerable portion of the border lies in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It will solve the logistical issues face by the armed forces stationed at the China border to get supplies from Tezpur.
  • Besides the bridge will also ramp up the movement of troops of armed forces in Arunachal Pradesh cutting down the distance to the border with China by 10 hours.
  • Other important projects to boost logistics along the border in Arunachal Pradesh include:
    • Trans-Arunachal highway on the north bank of the Brahmaputra
    • Road and rail links over the Brahmaputra and its major tributaries such as the Dibang, Lohit, Subansiri and Kameng.