GUWAHATI: The old Saraighat Bridge will remain closed to traffic from July 13 to September 15, to allow the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway to carry out repair work on the railway bridge, officials announced on Tuesday, July 7.
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The Kamrup Deputy Commissioner, the Senior Superintendent of Police (Guwahati), and the DCP (Traffic) jointly addressed a press conference to lay out the traffic arrangements for the closure period.
According to the officials, the New Saraighat Bridge will be converted into a two-way bridge for the duration of the closure, with barricades placed at the middle to separate traffic moving in opposite directions. The administration has also arranged recovery vehicles to be stationed along the route to quickly clear any vehicle breakdowns and prevent traffic pile-ups.
The Kumar Bhaskar Barma Setu will continue to remain operational during this period, and authorities have cautioned that commuters should expect congestion. The DCP (Traffic) said additional manpower will be deployed to manage traffic flow and minimise disruption.
Vehicles travelling from the south bank of Upper Assam to Lower Assam through Guwahati will be diverted via the Kaliabhomora Bridge, routing them through Darrang. Similarly, traffic from the north bank will be diverted through Tezpur.
Officials have advised drivers of smaller vehicles to use the Kumar Bhaskar Barma Setu instead of the New Saraighat Bridge, in order to ease congestion on the latter.
Officials further said that car, auto-rickshaw, and bus parking will be removed from the Jalukbari stretch to help ease traffic flow during the closure period, while truck parking arrangements will be managed separately along the North Guwahati stretch.
The district administration said it has directed the Railways to complete the repair work before September 15, ahead of the Durga Puja festive season, to avoid traffic disruptions during the peak travel period.