The world's highest railway bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, which is 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower, is all set to be ready by the year-end.
The bridge, 359 meters above the River Chenab is on the Katra-Banihal railway line at Kauri village in Reasi district. The cost of the 1.3-km-long bridge is estimated at around Rs 1,250 crore and as many as 1,300 workers and 300 engineers were engaged in its making that started in 2004.
Officials said that the bridge is being built in the deep gorge and the main arch of the bridge has a length of 476 metres which is the largest arch in India. They said that once this arch will be complete, work on the track laying beside the viaduct will be started.
Due to inclement weather and challenging terrains, the bridge, built in seismic zone IV, has missed several deadlines so far. This Chenab bridge is likely to have a lifespan of 120 years.
The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) is building this engineering marvel over a challenging 111 km stretch under the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
The bridge will include 17 spans with a 469 metres main arch across the Chenab river and viaducts on either side. According to officials, steel was chosen to construct the bridge as it will be more economical and able to resist temperatures of -20°C and wind speeds of above 200 km/h.
Officials said they are hopeful that the Chenab bridge is completed by the year-end as people of Kashmir are eagerly waiting for its completion so that it can provide all-weather connectivity to the Valley and parts of the Jammu division with the rest of the country.
Union Railway Ministry had said recently that the Udhampur-Baramulla rail project will be completed by December 2022.
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