Saraighat Bridge in Assam completes Rs 7 crore rehabilitation after six decades
Assam's Saraighat Bridge has been rehabilitated at a cost of Rs 7 crore, with repairs to expansion joints, road deck and steel members completed in September 2026.
The Saraighat Bridge in Assam has undergone a comprehensive rehabilitation more than six decades after it was commissioned, with the Northeast Frontier Railway completing repairs aimed at extending the structure's service life and maintaining reliable train operations on the Delhi-Guwahati route.
The project, estimated at Rs 7 crore, began on July 13, 2026, and concluded on September 15, 2026. The bridge, built across the Brahmaputra, has served as a critical rail link between Assam and the rest of the Northeast and the country since 1962.
According to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, inspections over the years had revealed damage to the road deck, expansion joints and some supporting steel members. Cracks and deteriorated concrete sections had also permitted water to seep into parts of the structure, accelerating wear. Routine maintenance was no longer deemed adequate, prompting the decision to carry out a full-scale rehabilitation.
A major component of the work involved repairing eight of the eleven expansion joints on the bridge. These joints allow the structure to accommodate movement caused by temperature changes and other forces. The damaged units were dismantled and repaired, while supporting steel members at locations showing distress were strengthened.
The concrete road deck had developed potholes and other damage. Although pothole repairs were carried out between January and May 2026, limited curing time — necessitated by the need to keep traffic moving — meant some patches failed again, particularly under the weight of heavily loaded vehicles. Under the latest project, damaged deck portions were dismantled and recast with concrete, and the new sections were given sufficient curing time to improve durability.
The rehabilitation addresses several structural concerns at once, including the expansion joints, distressed concrete and steel members. The work is intended to bolster the bridge's long-term reliability and support safe railway operations on a route that carries both passengers and freight between the Northeast and the rest of India.