Guwahati: The Centre has cleared a six-lane bridge, connecting Bharalumukh and North Guwahati, over the Brahmaputra.

A statement issued by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority on Wednesday said the screening committee of the department of economic affairs under the Union finance ministry recently cleared the project for external funding.

The project has already received clearance from the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority its conducting its environmental impact analysis. The project will be executed through a special purpose vehicle under the GMDA.

GMDA chief executive officer M. Angamuthu said preparation of the detailed project report of the bridge was in the final stage and its land acquisition work was under way. These will take about six months to complete. "Then we will float the tender through international bidding process," he said.

The project outlay is estimated at Rs 1,890 crore, of which BRICS Development Bank will provide Rs 1,512 crore and the state government will contribute the rest.

GMDA sources said Dispur has already provided Rs 250 crore for preparing the DPR and for preliminary costs like land acquisition and rehabilitation.

The DPR is being prepared by SMEC consultancy group, a subsidiary of the government of Singapore. The group has also carried out the feasibility study of the project, the report for which has been completed, the sources said.

Angamuthu said the length of the bridge on the river is 1,600m, measured from the south to north bank. In the north bank, the bridge will form a Y-junction. Junction 1 will meet at AT Road near Bhutnath temple and junction 2 will meet MG Road at Sankardev Udyan Park. In north bank, the bridge lands at Majgaon. From this point there will be a 1,150m viaduct connecting Majgaon and Abhayapur village.