Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) at Rs 3,166 crore to construct a 20 km, 4-lane bridge across the river Brahmaputra, the country’s longest road bridge to be built over a river. The bridge will be built between Dhubri to Phulbari on NH 127B for the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. To connect Assam and Meghalaya, the project is being financed by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). The bridge will feature Extradosed Spans of 125 m for 12.63 km, a 60 m Approach Viaduct of 5.74 km and an approach road of almost a km. It is expected to be completed by 2026-27. The proposed bridge will reduce the detouring road distance by about 203 km from Dhubri to Phulbari, which lie on the either side of the Brahmaputra before it flows into Bangladesh. Currently, those who travel across these States either take the Naranarayan bridge, which is 60 km upstream, or, alternatively, row across the river in small boats, which can take about two- and-a- half hours.