Jammu/Reasi, January 10: After missing several deadlines for more than a decade, the world tallest railway bridge on river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is likely to be completed by December 2021. Part of strategic Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project, its construction will provide reliable and all-weather connectivity with Kashmir Valley.
Iconic bridge soaring 359 metres above the bed of the river Chenab in Reasi district, some 100 km from Jammu, will be 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris (France) when construction is completed. 5,462 metric tonnes (MT) of special steel has been used so far for the construction of the massive arch-shaped structure, an engineering marvel. It is estimated that about 10,000 MT will be used to complete it.
“Work on two arches is progressing well. We have set a deadline of December 2021 for the completion of the bridge which in itself is an engineering challenge putting our engineers and institutions to test. On technical level we are updating our technology on a regular basis to meet the deadline”, said Sanjay Gupta, chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). The project was declared a national project way back in 2002 but since then due to several technical and political reasons work was carried out at a snail’s pace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government clear the bottlenecks after 2014. Gupta said the overall length of the Chenab bridge will be 1,315 meters having 17-special iron-steel spans. “One span of main arch portion across Chenab river is of 467-m length. Work is progressing from both sides of the bridge over the river”, said the CMD.
The project comprised 46.1 km of the route in tunnels, 4.6-km of the route on bridges and the rest in cuttings and embankments. In addition, Konkan Railway constructed 160km of project roads, including road tunnels and many temporary Bailey bridges to gain access to the Katra-Dharam section.
The project passes through three major geological thrust zones — Reasi, Muree and Pir Panjal thrust. “The completion of the project will provide a reliable connectivity to J&K UT with the rest of the country by the railway network. It will also provide connectivity by rail to far-flung areas, which will result in the overall economic development”, Gupta said.
