PM to lay foundation of fifth bridge over Brahmaputra

Guwahati, Nov 29 (UNI) Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is likely to lay the foundation stone of the fifth bridge over river Brahmaputra near Guwahati on Saturday next.

According to the National Highway Authority of India (NHA) sources, the Prime Minister is likely to lay the foundation on his way to Imphal. The state government is, however, tightlipped about his visit, probably due to security reasons.

The bridge is constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the East West corridor project.

The NHAI source said construction major Gammon India Limited had bagged the contract for the fifth bridge over the Brahmaputra at Guwahati with a cost of Rs 238 crores.

The new bridge will only be a road one and run parallel to existing Saraighat bridge and contructed under the East West Corridor project. In fact the bridge will be just 40 meter south of the existing bridge.

The State Government and the NF railway authorities have been pressing that the new road bridge should be converted to road cum Rail Bridge. The contract period for this new bridge construction is 42 months and the bridge should be operational by January, 2010.

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