Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu to Reduce Guwahati-North Guwahati Travel Time to 7 Minutes

The Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu over the mighty Brahmaputra River, joining Guwahati to North Guwahati, is ready to be officially inaugurated and dedicated to public use, 10 years after its foundation was laid. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to arrive in Guwahati this week, will be inaugurating the bridge.

Ahead of the inauguration, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday visited the bridge for a final inspection. Courted by reporters there, he said that the bridge will drastically reduce travel time to reach from one bank of the Brahmaputra to the other in Guwahati to just seven minutes.

Sarma said, “The foundation stone was laid on February 9, 2016. The Prime Minister will arrive in Guwahati on February 14. He will travel up to the middle of the bridge to view the scenery from there. The bridge will be open for general public till March 1. After that, it will be opened for all kinds of vehicles.”

The Chief Minister said that toll for commercial vehicles to ply on the bridge will be significantly high as he hopes that will discourage them from using it. “The travel time will be reduced to only seven minutes. For commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks, there will be a very high toll imposed.”

Meanwhile, Sarma said that a discussion is underway on the construction of a bicycle track for the benefit of the people.

Engineering Marvel

The Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu features a six-lane extradosed bridge stretching 1.24 kilometres over the Brahmaputra, forming part of an overall 8.4-kilometre connectivity corridor between Guwahati and North Guwahati. Constructed at an estimated cost ranging between Rs 2,600 crore and Rs 3,300 crore, the bridge is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion and shorten travel time between the two banks.