Foundation Laying Ceremony for the Dhubri-Phulbhari Bridge, supported by Japanese ODA loan
2021/2/18
On 18th February 2021, the Foundation Laying Ceremony for the Dhubri-Phulbhari Bridge, connecting Dhubri, Assam, and Phulbhari, Meghalaya, over the Brahmaputra River, which Japan has been supporting through its ODA loan, was held in the presence of Honourable Prime Minister Modi.
The Dhubri-Phulbhari Bridge is a 19km long / 4 lane road bridge over Brahmaputra River. Japan has been supporting the construction of the bridge through Japanese ODA loan as “North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project (Phase 3).” Once the bridge is completed, traveling time between Dhubri and Phulbhari will become dramatically shorter. While the existing land route requires more than 8 hours, and even the ferry route requires about 2.5 hours, people will be able to make this trip with only 23 minutes of travel time. This Bridge will also provide a “flood free route” as an alternative to the existing ferry route, which can become unstable and dangerous in the monsoon season, therefore providing resilience to the connectivity of the Region. The bridge will be the longest of all river bridges in India.
The North East of India is situated where India’s Act East Policy and Japan’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” converge. Japan has been supporting development in the North East of India through the “Act East Forum”, co-chaired by Ambassador Suzuki and Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary of India, and has been a strong proponent of projects, including road connectivity improvement, water supply and wastewater treatment, forest management, providing facilities for education and medicine, as well as technical assistance for sustainable mountainous road development.
The Dhubri-Phulbhari Bridge is a 19km long / 4 lane road bridge over Brahmaputra River. Japan has been supporting the construction of the bridge through Japanese ODA loan as “North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project (Phase 3).” Once the bridge is completed, traveling time between Dhubri and Phulbhari will become dramatically shorter. While the existing land route requires more than 8 hours, and even the ferry route requires about 2.5 hours, people will be able to make this trip with only 23 minutes of travel time. This Bridge will also provide a “flood free route” as an alternative to the existing ferry route, which can become unstable and dangerous in the monsoon season, therefore providing resilience to the connectivity of the Region. The bridge will be the longest of all river bridges in India.
The North East of India is situated where India’s Act East Policy and Japan’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” converge. Japan has been supporting development in the North East of India through the “Act East Forum”, co-chaired by Ambassador Suzuki and Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary of India, and has been a strong proponent of projects, including road connectivity improvement, water supply and wastewater treatment, forest management, providing facilities for education and medicine, as well as technical assistance for sustainable mountainous road development.