Himanta Biswa Sarma: Jorhat–Dibrugarh NH project to be completed by December 31

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on April 8, announced that the Jorhat–Dibrugarh section of the National Highway will be completed by December 31, 2025, well ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

He announced the assurance on his official X handle after a high-level meeting with Dr. Krishan Kumar, Managing Director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), held in New Delhi, on April 7.

“This marks yet another promise made to the people that will be fulfilled well before the elections,” Sarma said in a post on X, expressing confidence in the progress of the vital highway project.

Pursuant to my discussion yesterday in Delhi with Dr. Krishan Kumar, Managing Director of @nhidcl , I am happy to share that there is unanimous confidence in completing the Jorhat–Dibrugarh section of the National Highway by 31st December.

This marks yet another promise made to…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 8, 2025

During the meeting, the chief minister and the NHIDCL chief assessed the status of ongoing and proposed infrastructure initiatives across Assam. Key projects under review included the much-anticipated 19.28-km-long four-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra River, which will link Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalaya. Once completed, it will be India’s longest bridge.

The two also discussed the ambitious Rs. 25,000 crore Guwahati–Silchar Expressway, which is expected to drastically reduce travel time and improve connectivity between Assam’s two major cities.

Other critical infrastructure projects were also on the agenda, including the proposed Numaligarh–Gohpur underwater tunnel—a first-of-its-kind in the Northeast—and the expansion of the national highway corridors between Baihata Chariali–Tezpur and Gohpur–Kulajan.

The discussions highlighted the strategic importance of these projects not only for Assam's internal connectivity but also for broader regional integration and national security.