The world’s highest single-arch rail bridge was officially launched in Chenab, on Saturday, August 13, 2022. The Golden Joint will connect Srinagar with the rest of India for the first time after Independence.
The Chenab Bridge of Jammu and Kashmir, when constructed, will be 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is a majestic structure with complex engineering that is 395m above the river bed level.Â
The Chenab bridge is 1,315 meters long and it forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal. It forms a part of the Kashmir Railway Project under the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) section.
Check the picture Ministry of Railway posted of the bridge on Twitter here:-
The Construction
A company named Afcons is constructing the Chenab Bridge. The company started construction in 2004 after which it went through a lot of obstacles. The construction even stopped around 2008-09 to reconsider the safety of the passengers.
Deputy Managing Director of Afcons, Giridhar Rajagopalan said, “We can confidently state that the bridge would be roughly 98% complete after the golden joint is finished.”
In addition to the Chenab Bridge, the company is building 16 other railway bridges for Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) in the dangerous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir. All the bridges are part of the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Resources Involved and Features
A huge capital of ₹1,468 crores is invested for the success of this project. The Chenab Bridge is to come with a warranty of more than 120 years and completely flawless.
The most beautiful arch of the bridge consists of steel boxes with the overall weight 10,619 MT. The Chenab Bridge is to operate at a restricted speed of 30 Km/Hour and is designed to withstand high wind pressures.
Construction of the world’s wonder, the highest bridge involves the fabrication of 28,660 MT steel, 10 Lakh Cum Earthwork, 66,000 Cum Concrete, and 26 Km motorable roads. The bridge required welding of 55kms.
Currently, more than 1,300 workers and 300 engineers are working in the construction of the bridge with a huge lot of mental planning.
