Contract for building India's longest river bridge goes to L&T
What's the story
The construction wing of infrastructure giant, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), has landed the contract for building India's largest river bridge, reports said. Now, L&T Construction will build the 19-km-long bridge that connects Dhubri (Assam) to Phulbari (Meghalaya). The bridge will be constructed over the Brahmaputra river and is estimated to reduce the distance between the Northeastern states by 250 km.
Looking back
Earlier, L&T landed another major contract linked to bullet train
The company won the contract days after it was given the responsibility to build the 87.57-km-long stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. The contract worth Rs. 7,000 crore was given by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation. L&T's SV Desai, whole-time Director, Senior Executive VP(Civil Infrastructure), thanked National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation for the latest project. "This is an extremely challenging project," Desai claimed.
Problem
Currently, people can travel only via a ferry
Desai explained that the bridge will not only improve connectivity, but "will also give a huge fillip to trade and commerce in the region for the accelerated development of all the North Eastern States especially Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and the Barak Valley." Currently, the only way to travel between these terminal points is a ferry ride, which consumes nearly 2.5 hours.
Bidding
Naturally, L&T was the lowest bidder for the project
Reportedly, the bridge will be built on NH 127-B and will have a navigation bridge of 12.62 km. It will have an approach viaduct of 3.5 km on the Dhubri side and 2.2 km-long on the Phulbari side. Approach roads and interchanges will also have connectivity to the bridge on both the sides. Notably, L&T's lowest bid was valued at Rs. 3,200 crore.
Cost
The bridge would cost nearly Rs. 5,000 crore
Reports said L&T's bid was Rs. 1,000 crore less than L2 bidder SP Singhla Constructions. The bridge, whose cost is estimated to be Rs. 4,997.04 crore, will be completed by 2026-27. The projected cost includes Rs. 55.68 crore for land acquisition and resettlement. The idea of the bridge was proposed five years ago by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).