MADURAI: Construction works of the new Pamban Bridge at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu are going on in full swing right now and will be completed before the end of 2024 after which it will be commissioned for rail traffic, the Southern Railway has informed.
The length of the bridge is 2.08 km and it is being built at an anticipated estimated cost of Rs.550 crores after this project was sanctioned in the year 2019.
In an important press statement issued on May 3rd 2024 about the progress of works, the Southern Railway has said that the the vertical lift span is being moved slowly to its position as out of the 428 metres it has to move, the span has moved up to 200 metres so far and it has to cover the balance 228 metres in coming days before the final launch of this vertical lift span.
“The new Pamban Bridge is a 2,070 meter long vertical lift sea bridge that is being built parallel to the existing Pamban bridge at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. This upcoming structure will be India’s first vertical lift sea bridge. The new bridge will have 100 spans across the sea. It will be three metres higher than the exiistng bridge. Substructure consists of 333 piles and 101 pile caps completed while 76 out of 99 approach girders were fabricated and launched,” the Southern Railway press release said yesterday.
WHY THE NEW BRIDGE AT PAMBAN?
Giving reasons for constructing new bridge at Pamban, the Southern Railway has informed that the existing 110-year-old bridge has served its codal life and some part of the bridge is corroded over the years.
“There is a permanent speed restriction of 10 kmph on this two km long bridge. There was intermittent stoppage of traffic on the bridge over several months for repairing the corroded portions. There fore it was decided to construct a new bridge on detour with a vertical lift span,” the press release added.
BENEFITS OF NEW BRIDGE:
The Southern Railway also informed that all electro-mechanical equipment has been procured, trial assembly and trial run of the electromechanical equipment was done and found to be functioning satisfactorily.
“This new Pamban bridge will be a modern bridge that can accommodate higher volume of traffic. The new bridge will have a higher clearance to allow larger boats to pass underneath, improving sea connectivity in the region. Efforts towards infrastructure development like the new Pamban bridge highlight Railways’ commitment to modernize its transportation network and improve connectivity across various regions,” the Southern Railway has said in its press release on May 3rd 2024 about the present status of new Pamban Bridge construction works.
