The initiation:

• Construction of Dhola Sadiya Bridge began in 2011 under the guidance of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in public-private partnership (PPP) with Navayuga Engineering Company Limited, Hyderabad.
• The project was led by Mr B Surya Raju, Chief Project Manager and under the supervision of Mr Jagadishwara Rao,the Director of Navayuga Engineering Company Limited. It has been made at a budget of whopping 950 crore rupees.

Addressing cross-border issues:

• The Modi government in 2016 had decided to undertake the construction of 73 roads of operational significance along Indo-China border. Out of these 73 roads, 46 roads are being constructed by Ministry of Defence and 27 roads by Ministry of Home Affairs. This project could be assessed as a major extension of that belief.
• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal believes that this bridge will foster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively.Emphasising on the border aspect he believes that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country.
• Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict. The bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.

 The bridge traits:

• The Dhola Sadiya Bridge spanning over Brahmaputra River will surpass Mahatma Gandhi Setu of 5.75 km in the list of longest bridges in India over water. Situated in the state of Assam near China border, the bridge withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank connects the states, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India.
• The bridge is 9.15-kilometre-long and 12.9-metre-wide connecting Dhola and Sadia Ghats. The bridge is over Brahmaputra River. The construction of Dhola Sadia Bridge was done keeping in mind its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border. Cross Border Construction necessities are served quite well in this bridge construction.The bridge will provide easy accessibility to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.
• The Northeast being a high seismic region, the bridge was built using state-of-the-art equipment, including imported hydraulic rigs, and provided seismic buffers in all its 182 piers, said B Surya Raju, chief manager (projects) with Navayuga Engineering Co Ltd,. In August 2003, the road transport and highways ministry cleared a feasibility study.

 The Key features:

• Dhola Sadiya Bridge, India’s Longest Bridge is located 540-km away from Assam capital Dispur and 300 km away from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar.
• The bridge is capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank,
• The longest bridge on water in India, Dhola-Sadiya is constructed on river Brahmaputra between Dhola and Sadia Ghats.
• The aerial distance to the Chinese border is less than 100 km.
• Dhola Sadiya Bridge is 9500 metre-long and 12.9-metre-wide with an external post-tensioned bridge with 183 spans each of 50 metres (160 ft) along with a two-lane connecting road from Dhola Bazaar to Islampur Tiniali.
• The existing single way on Dhola side, which was of 7.297 km and turning it into double lane with a paved shoulder on Sadia side of 11.874 km.
• The Dhola Sadia Bridge when opened to the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours.
• At present, the travel time is 8 hours from Dhola Gaon to Sadiya Islampur Tiniali via Parsuram Kund Bridge, while using the water ferry service in Brahmaputra River it takes about 4.50 hours.
• The new project will help the to travel in flat hasslefree 30 minutes, saving up to four hours. In Arunachal Pradesh, this bridge will help people of the state to reach the nearest rail head in Tinsukia and the airport in Dibrugarh quickly.

A Quick Look at the bridge functionality:

• The Dhola-Sadiya bridge is being built over the Lohit river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
• In Assam, the bridge is located in Sadia, 540 kilometres from the state capital of Guwahati. Its other end is in Dhola, 300 kilometres from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal.
• It is a little over nine kilometres long – that’s nearly 30 per cent longer that the famous Bandra-Worli Sealink in Mumbai.
• Once opened, the bridge will reduce travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by up to four hours. There is no operational airport in Arunachal.
• Construction began in 2011, when the Congress governed Assam. The cost of the project is about 950 crores.
• So far, there is little road connectivity between Assam and Arunachal. Currently, the only route for people looking to travel from this part of Assam to Arunachal is by boat.
• Its strategic importance for the military is huge. With the bridge, troops will be able to enter Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, much more quickly and easily.
• The bridge has been designed to accommodate the movement of tanks.
• There is no existing bridge in the region that is strong enough to allow the travel of tanks to Tinsukia, from where troops usually enter Arunachal.
• Construction of this bridge was inclu-ded in 15,000 crore package sanctioned by the centre in 2015 to improve road connectivity in the border state.

Conclusion:

• The bridge is one of the key projects of the ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the northeast and has been built in public-private partnership. This bridge will have dual advantage of accessibility and strengthening border management.