The border towns of Phulbari in Meghalaya and Dhubri in Assam will bring a revolution in travel as the 19.28-km bridge over the Brahmaputra nears completion.

The bridge will cut the 220-km, seven-hour journey down to 20 minutes, significantly enhancing access to North Bengal, reachable within 6.5 hours. Despite frequent floods and adverse weather, round-the-clock construction has enabled the completion of 59 percent of the project so far. The final completion is targeted for September 2028.

Larsen & Toubro is executing the project, and during a recent site visit, officials showcased the construction progress and highlighted the bridge’s potential benefits. The Phulbari-Dhubri bridge will be the longest river bridge in the country, with only the Atal Setu in Mumbai being longer overall over the sea.

Supported by at least 100 pillars on the Meghalaya side, the six-lane bridge will initially open four lanes to public traffic, reserving two lanes exclusively for emergency and defence services. The Centre first proposed this inter-state bridge project in 2011, with then Union Minister CP Joshi assuring support to former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. 

The total project cost, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stands at Rs 3,166 crore. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and officials from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) are closely monitoring progress to ensure timely and quality completion.