India's giant strides in road connectivity: Watch breathtaking video

New Delhi: In the past couple of years, railways and highways in India have seen a significant improvement. Road connectivity, as well as rail connectivity, has certainly seen impressive growth. In fact, railway minister Piyush Goyal and Road Transport & Highways minister Nitin Gadkari are regarded as two of the most performing ministers in the present government.

Road connectivity in the northeast region of the country has gotten a major boost with Dola-Sadiya Bridge, Bogibeel bridge etc. While several iconic highways projects and bridges have already been completed and opened to traffic, foundation stone of several other highway projects have been laid down.

A look at India’s giant strides in road connectivity in the past few years:

Here are some of the key infrastructure developments in recent time

1. Bogibeel Bridge: It is India's longest rail-cum-road bridge. The 4.94 Kilometre-long bridge inaugurated last year was sanctioned in 1997-98 and it took nearly 20 years for the bridge to finally be functional. The bridge connects Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and is built at an estimated cost of Rs 5,960 crore. The 4.95 km bridge spans from Dibrugarh, Assam to Arunachal Pradesh's capital Itanagar. 

(Picture Credit: PIB)

2. Dhola-Sadiya Bridge: The Dhola–Sadiya Bridge also known as the Bhupen Hazarika Setu is a beam bridge connecting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge spans the Lohit River from the village of Dhola in the south to Sadiya to the north. The 9.15 kilometres-long bridge is the longest bridge in India which has been designed to handle 60 tonne weight. The bridge was inaugurated in 2017.

(Picture Credit: BCCL)

3. Delhi-Meerut Expressway: The Delhi-Meerut Expressway is India's first 14-lane highway which has reduced travel time to 10 minutes from earlier 60 minutes. The Delhi section was completed in record 18 months at the cost of Rs 842 crore. It is lit by solar power and has 2.5-metre wide cycle track and 2-metre wide footpath. The expressway boasts of hanging garden with drip irrigation on Yamuna bridges.

(Picture Credit: Twitter)

4. Kota Hanging Bridge: The bridge, 1.4 km in length, is constructed at a cost of Rs 278 crore at Kota. The work on the bridge began in November 2006. However, the construction had to be stopped for five years after one of its pillars collapsed killing at least 48 people, including two engineers, in December 2009. The work resumed in 2014. The Rs 277.67-crore project was completed in 2017. It is a part of the East-West Corridor of the Golden Quadrangle Project of the National Highways Authority of India.

(Picture Credit: Twitter)

5. Chenani-Nashri Tunnel: Built over a period of five years, the 9.2 km-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel constructed at a cost of over Rs 2,500 crore is the longest tunnel in the country. It connects Udhampur with Ramban district and bypasses a dangerous hilly terrain of over 30 km of the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Situated at an altitude of 1,200 metres, the tunnel has traffic and fire control systems, video surveillance, FM connectivity and transverse ventilation systems. 

(Picture Credit: Twitter)