India's First Vertical lift bridge work reaches 84%, expected to complete in December

The Indian railways on Thursday (December 01) said 84 per cent of work on much-awaited India's first vertical lift sea bridge - New Pamban bridge - connecting the holy Rameswaram in Pamban island to mainland India has been completed.

 

The railways added that track laying work is in progress and fabrication of the vertical lift span girder is nearing completion. “Assembling platform for the vertical lift span on the Rameswaram end of the bridge is getting ready,” it said.

 

 

 

1. The bridge is set to replace the iconic Pamban bridge - India's first sea bridge which opened in 1914.

 

2. The total length of the bridge is 2.078 km and the estimated cost of the project is ₹279.63 crore.

 

3. According to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, the work on the bridge started in February 2020 and was estimated to be completed by December last year. The peculiarity of the new bridge is its 72-metre-long vertical lift span, which can be lifted by 17 metres to allow the ships to pass below it.

 

4. While the current bridge has the 'Scherzer' rolling lift technology in which the bridge opens up horizontally, to let ships pass through, the new bridge will lift vertically upwards remaining parallel to the deck. It will be done using sensors at each end.

 

5. The new bridge will help trains to operate at higher speeds, carry more weight and increase the volume of traffic to Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi temples.