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Bogibeel project
Why is it in news?
- Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge, 4.94-km-long structure, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge across the Brahmaputra inaugurated by PM.
Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge
- The bridge was under-construction for 16 years.
- Not a single nut or bolt has been used in constructing the steel super structure.
- A double-decker structure, it will have two railway tracks on the lower deck and a three-lane road on the upper deck flanked by footpaths.
- Electric arc welding technology was used during the construction process to ensure longevity of the structure.
- Bridge has seismic restrainers that can withstand earthquakes of 7 magnitude.
- 2,000 MT of steel was used over and above the original estimate for additional strength.
- It is built to ease the pressure on the 4,258-ft Saraighat Bridge on the western edge of Guwahati.
- Until the Saraighat was built in 1962, the Brahmaputra was the only river in India that had not been bridged along its entire length from delta to foothills either for road or railway.
- A major challenge in the construction of the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge was finding the required skilled manpower, and convincing the personnel to work in the hostile conditions of Upper Assam.
- The 4.94-km-long structure, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge across the Brahmaputra, will help the Indian armed forces move men and material to Arunachal Pradesh in a faster manner.
- It will also benefit the Indian Railways, as it will help reduce the distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by 600 km.
- Bolts and rivets that are normally used in a steel bridge require periodic replacement due to shear failure over traffic loads.
- In the Bogibeel bridge, construction of trusses using welding has made the connection between components a permanent one, eliminating the above failures.
- The structure is India’s first fully-welded bridge, which will protect it from harsh weather.