Bogibeel Bridge was the biggest project started by Prime Minister H.D.Deva Gowda in January 1997

Bogibeel Bridge was the biggest project started by Prime Minister H.D.Deva Gowda in January 1997.The Bogibeel bridge traces its origins to the Assam Accord of 1985 and was one of several major infrastructural projects to be set up in Assam in accordance with the pact.It was sanctioned by the Government of India in 1997-98 and was expected to be completed by the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan.The foundation of the bridge was laid in January 1997 by Prime Minister H.D.Deva Gowda but construction was inaugurated only in 2002 by Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee.After several years of slow progress, the Bogibeel bridge was granted a national project status by the Government of India in 2007 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Accordingly, the Union Ministry of Finance is now funding 75% of the project costs while the Ministry of Railways will finance the rest.The bridge was planned to be completed by 2009 but has since witnessed huge time and cost overruns. Initially estimated at ₹17.67 billion, the cost of completion has since escalated to ₹32.30 billion and the final cost is expected to be around ₹49.96 billion.Civil work on Bogibeel bridge has been completed but electrical and signalling work remains to be completed. The bridge is expected to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25th December 2018.On 2 December 2018, the bridge opened as the first freight train crossed it.