The old Saraighat bridge connecting the north and south banks of Guwahati has been temporarily closed for maintenance work. The move led to a long traffic snarl in the area on Saturday.
As per reports, the rail-cum-road bridge will not be useable for the next two days due to the ongoing maintenance works necessitated to fix large cracks that had appeared on the old Saraighat bridge.
The railway department has taken up the repair works on the bridge and issued directives to shut down traffic movement on it. As a result, daily commuters faced a lot of trouble today. Long queues of vehicles were seen on both ends of the bridge at Jalukbari and Amingaon.
According to the reports, the bridge was closed from 11 am today. There are strict directions in place to finish the work in two days to reopen the bridge.
Meanwhile, all the traffic has been diverted to the the new Saraighat bridge running adjacent to the old one. The arrangement will continue for the next two days for the duration of the repair works.
It may be noted that the concept of constructing a bridge over the Brahmaputra River was initially proposed in 1910 and gained traction during the Second World War. Concerns initially arose over the stability of the railway line between Bongaigaon and Amingaon following severe floods in 1942–43. However, once the railway line was stabilized, the decision to build the bridge was officially announced by Railway Minister Nitish Lagachu and Public Health Director Ranjan Malakar during the Budget session of Parliament in 1958.
Constructed between 1959 and 1962 by Hindustan Construction Company at a cost of Rs 10.6 crore at the time, the bridge was completed in September 1962, with the first train crossing on 23 September 1962. This bridge serves as a crucial link connecting Northeast India with the rest of the country.
Standing 40 feet above the normal flood level of the river, the bridge ensures unrestricted navigation. Following a major repair project, the bridge was closed for maintenance from March 23, 2019, and reopened for traffic on June 20, 2019.
