Old Saraighat Bridge to be closed for 90 days

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) plans to carry out a massive repair of the road deck portion of the historical Saraighat bridge in the next few days, official sources said on Thursday.

"The state government informed us that it will facilitate stoppage of movement of road traffic for 90 days after Magh Bihu on January 14. We are ready with all the arrangements to start repair work as soon as the road traffic comes to a halt," NFR public relations officer Nripen Bhattacharya said. The new road bridge near the Saraighat rail-cum-road bridge will provide an alternative route for diversion of road traffic.

NFR said as many as 80 deck slabs of the Saraighat bridge, the first rail-cum-road bridge on the Brahmaputra, will be replaced and an asphalt layer will be laid over the entire stretch of the bridge.

The Saraighat rail-cum-road bridge was commissioned in 1963 and it handles a huge volume of road and rail traffic everyday.

Although the steel girders of the bridge have been regularly maintained as per laid-down procedure, the road portion has not been adequately attended due to constant presence of traffic.

As an immediate measure, thick steel plates have been provided to protect the deck slab and also to provide a smooth ride. Such steel plates have been provided at five locations. For permanent repair, the contract for execution of work has been finalized by the railways in November this year.