PM Modi Inaugurates Rs 3,030 Crore Bridge Across Brahmaputra In Guwahati

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane bridge built across the Brahmaputra River, to enhance connectivity within Guwahati.

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3,030 crore, the Prestressed Concrete (PSC) bridge, is the first of its kind in the Northeast connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati. It is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time between the two sides of the river to about seven minutes.

Given the region’s high seismic vulnerability, the bridge has been designed with base isolation technology using friction pendulum bearings to enhance stability during earthquakes. High-performance stay cables have been installed to ensure structural durability, while a Bridge Health Monitoring System has been integrated to facilitate real-time assessment, early detection of structural stress and improved safety management.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister made a historic touchdown at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) built on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh, marking the inauguration of the first highway airstrip of its kind in Northeast India, in a landmark moment for India’s strategic and infrastructure capabilities. Designed as dual-use infrastructure, it can support emergency landings of military and civilian aircraft and is capable of handling fighter jets up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes.

PM Modi was received in Assam by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Dibrugarh. He is also scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore, covering connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education and urban mobility initiatives in the Northeast.

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