India's longest rail-cum-road
Bogibeel bridge
India's
longest rail-cum-road Bogibeel bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi Tuesday, is not only the country's first fully-welded steel bridge but the
world's longest incrementally launched steel bridge, infrastructure major HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) said.
The prime minister inaugurated the the
4.94-km-long double-decker strategic bridge, built by HCC, over the Brahmaputra
river at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh in Assam, which is expected to reduce the
distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by around 700 kilometres, and the
travel time from 24 hours to merely five hours.
With
the width ranging from 1.2 km to 18 km, the Brahmaputra has been bridged only four
times in the past, and HCC holds the distinction of building two of these
bridges and has now constructed the fifth, the company said in a statement.
"Built
on the Brahmaputra river in Dibrugarh district of Assam, it is the first fully
welded steel bridge and the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India. HCC
constructed the entire 4.9 km-long superstructure," it said.
Military implications
Northeast
Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said
almost 75 per cent of the 4,000-km long border that India shares with China is
in Arunachal Pradesh, and the bridge will help in logistical support for the
Indian Army manning the border.
Bridge
will enable the military to speedily dispatch forces to neighbouring Arunachal,
which borders China. This has cut the rail journey between Dibrugarh and
Arunachal by 750 km.
The
bridge can bear the weight of India’s heaviest battle tanks and also allow
fighter jets to land.
1. Connectivity for five million
Bogibeel
bridge will provide connectivity to nearly five million people residing in
Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
HCC
said the project boasts of multiple benefits such as strategic and speedier
access for defence forces to the Indo-China border, seamless access for medical
facilities to remote north-eastern states, and most importantly reducing by
nearly 10 hours the transportation distance between NH-37 and NH-52, saving
transportation cost, time and fuel.
2. Bridging the Brahmaputra
"HCC
has time and again undertaken complex infrastructure projects that are
benchmarks in India's infrastructure journey. Bogibeel Bridge is an engineering
masterpiece, which has many technical firsts to its name. It is India's first
fully welded Warren truss girder type steel bridge.
"Not
only has an incremental launching technique for superstructure erection been
used for the first time in India, it is also the world's longest incrementally
launched steel bridge. HCC is proud to create such marvels for the
nation," HCC Director & Group CEO Arjun Dhawan said.
The
company said its team through sheer determination and grit completed this
project, as bridging the mighty Brahmaputra has always been a daunting task.
3. Constructed to reduce corrosion
The
company said the superstructure of the Bogibeel bridge has been constructed
using special copper-bearing steel plates in order to reduce corrosion.
Furthermore,
due to excessive humidity in the area, a complex Corrosion Protection System
specific to different components of the bridge has been implemented, it added.
4. Designed to deal with
earthquakes
To
offer stability to the heavy spans (1700 MT), seismic restrainers are provided.
The bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes with magnitudes in excess of 7,
the company said.
5. Serviceable period of 120 years
It
has a serviceable period of around 120 years. "The 4.9 km-long
Bogibeel Bridge on the Bramhaputra river is India's only fully welded bridge
for which european codes and welding standards were adhered to for the first
time in the country, said Chief Engineer Mohinder Singh.
Singh
said a fully welded bridge has a low maintenance cost. The bridge, constructed
at an estimated cost of Rs 5,900 crore, has a "serviceable period of
around 120 years", he said.
6. An eye on China
Northeast
Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said
almost 75 per cent of the 4,000-km long border that India shares with China is
in Arunachal Pradesh, and the bridge will help in logistical support for the
Indian Army manning the border.
Bridge
will enable the military to speedily dispatch forces to neighbouring Arunachal,
which borders China. This has cut the rail journey between Dibrugarh and
Arunachal by 750 km.
The
bridge can bear the weight of India’s heaviest battle tanks and also allow
fighter jets to land.
Source:
