Guwahati–North Guwahati Bridge to miss November deadline, to open in phases

Guwahati, June 25: The completion of the Guwahati–North Guwahati bridge, named the Kumar Bhaskar Varman Setu, is set to miss its original November deadline.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a progress review at the construction site in Gauripur, North Guwahati, on Wednesday, announced that the much-anticipated bridge will now be opened to the public in phases.

“The first phase will involve the completion of the bridge and the connecting route through IIT Guwahati via Gauripur to Guwahati. This section should be ready by January 15, 2026,” the Chief Minister said.

Notably, only small and medium-sized vehicles will be permitted on the route initially, he added.

The second phase, he said, will focus on completing the trumpet junctions on the connecting National Highway.

“The trumpet interchange over the highway won’t be completed by then and is expected to be ready only by May or June 2026,” he noted.

Sarma, however, expressed optimism that the first phase could be finished by December this year.

“The work is nearing completion. I think we might even be able to walk across it by November,” he jested.

The trumpet junction was not part of the original plan and was incorporated into the six-lane bridge-cum-road project in May 2023.

The project cost was revised in February 2025, rising by Rs 422 crore—from an initial outlay of Rs 2,608 crore to Rs 3,030 crore.

“When a project runs over an extended timeline, cost escalations are natural. Even if 90% of the work is done, expenses tend to rise,” a PWD official told The Assam Tribune in February.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had announced plans to inaugurate the bridge during Durga Puja this year, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the ceremony.