Assam’s iconic Saraighat Bridge gets Rs 7-crore facelift after 63 years; major rehabilitation completed
Northeast Frontier Railway has completed the Rs 7-crore rehabilitation of Guwahati’s Saraighat Bridge. The work is meant to improve safety, load-bearing capacity and long-term reliability on the vital Assam link.
- Sep 15, 2026,
- Updated Sep 15, 2026, 9:53 PM IST
- Rehabilitation began on July 13 and concluded successfully on September 15
- Inspectors flagged cracks, cavities, damaged steel and a failed Amingaon joint
- Water ingress had affected eight of the bridge’s eleven expansion joints
The comprehensive rehabilitation of Guwahati’s iconic Saraighat Bridge has been successfully completed, with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) completing the Rs 7-crore repair and strengthening project on September 15.
According to NFR CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the rehabilitation work commenced on July 13, 2026, and was completed on September 15. The project was undertaken to restore the bridge’s condition, strengthen critical structural components and ensure that its structural integrity meets modern load-bearing and safety requirements.
Commissioned in 1962, the Saraighat Bridge has served as a crucial link between Assam and the rest of the country for more than six decades. The historic bridge, which spans the Brahmaputra, remains strategically important for the movement of people and goods across the Northeast.
NFR said inspections had identified several areas requiring urgent intervention, including a distressed expansion joint at the Amingaon end, damaged supporting steel members, structural cracks and cavities in spalled concrete. Water ingress had also damaged eight of the bridge’s 11 expansion joints.
Multiple potholes and distressed sections were found on the road deck. Although pothole repairs had been carried out several times between January and May this year, the repaired surfaces were again damaged under heavy traffic, particularly due to the limited curing time available while keeping the bridge operational.
As part of the rehabilitation, eight damaged expansion joints were dismantled and repaired, while distressed portions of the concrete road deck were removed and recast. Underlying steel structural members were also repaired and strengthened at several locations.
Sharma said the work was carried out with a focus on safety, structural integrity and long-term durability, describing the rehabilitation as an important intervention to safeguard a critical piece of national infrastructure.
The completion of the project is expected to strengthen the long-term reliability of the historic Saraighat Bridge, which continues to serve as one of Assam’s key gateways and an important connectivity link for the Northeast.
