All you need to know about the longest bridge in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge in Assam. Stated to be the longest bridge in India, the bridge is 9.15kms long and 12.9mts wide. It connects the village of Dhola in Assam to the town of Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh and will enable better connectivity in the northeast region.

The groundwork for this project began in 2002 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. However, construction work only began in 2010, by which time the cost had gone up to `2,096 crore. The bridge has been designed to facilitate the movement of heavy vehicles including 60-tonne battle tanks. It will save people at least eight hours of travel time and is shorter by 165kms. The bridge will be named Bhupen Hazarika Setu, as a tribute to the legendary music director, poet and lyricist, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, who hailed from the town of Sadiya.

The Bhupen Hazarika Setu, also referred to as the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, is a beam bridge in India, connecting the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

Construction began in November 2011 as a public-private partnership with Navayuga Engineering Company, with an expected completion in 2015. However, due to construction delays and cost increases, the bridge's completion date was pushed into 2017.