Guwahati, Feb 11: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 11 announced that vehicles will begin using the newly constructed bridge connecting North and South Guwahati from March 1, with temporary traffic arrangements in place until June.
Speaking to the media, Sarma explained that while the bridge officially originates at Gauripur, vehicles will initially access it via IIT Guwahati, as construction of the trumpet interchange at Gauripur is still underway. “From March 1, vehicles will ply on the new bridge, but connectivity to the highway will be slightly diverted till June due to the ongoing construction of the trumpet at Gauripur,” he said.
The Chief Minister clarified that buses and trucks using the bridge will be subject to toll tax to prevent congestion in commercial areas such as Fancy Bazar, while other vehicles will not be charged. “If buses and trucks ply on the bridge without regulation, it will choke Fancy Bazar and other parts of the city,” he noted.
For the next 15 days, the bridge will remain open exclusively as a pedestrian zone, allowing the public to walk across and experience the structure before full-scale vehicular operations commence.
The bridge, named after the ancient Kamrup king Kumar Bhaskar Varma, is set for its official inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14. Stretching over 1.24 kilometres and constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 3,300 crore, the modern bridge is being hailed as a landmark infrastructure project for Assam.
