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Why to visit Saraighat Bridge
Saraighat Bridge, which spans the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati, is the world's first railway-road bridge. The bridge's construction began in 1958, and it was first opened to freight vehicles in 1962 by then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was opened to public traffic a year later, on June 7, 1963. A road highway is on top of the double-decker bridge, with a rail line below. The bridge, which was originally built for the North Frontier Railway, is a crucial link between the North East and the rest of the country, with Lachit Borphukan Park on the south end and Chilarai Park on the north.
The idea of the construction of the bridge first took birth in 1910 and gained momentum during the Second World War. However, the floods of 1942-43 diminished the idea largely because the stability of a railway line between Bongaigaon and Amingaon was doubtful. Nevertheless, the decision to go ahead with the construction of the bridge was announced in the Budget Session of 1958 and the construction started in 1959.
The bridge recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and according to a research study conducted by a group of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the bridge is still fine to go for a few more years before it requires any kind of restoration. Saraighat, a little village famed for the massive fight between Ahoms and Mughals, has a 1.4-kilometer-long bridge connecting both banks of the Brahmaputra river. In 2017, an adjacent three-lane concrete bridge was also built and opened.
