India's first vertical lift sea bridge to be completed soon

07 Dec 2022 CW Team

The Ministry of Railways announced on Saturday that the first vertical lift sea bridge in India is nearly 84 per cent complete and scheduled to open in March 2023. The sanctified Rameswaram island is connected to Tamil Nadu's mainland by the new Pamban Bridge.

The Indian Railways is building the cutting-edge bridge, which will be the first of its kind in the nation. The 2.05 km new Pamban railway bridge is currently undergoing reconstruction, according to a statement from the railway ministry.

The work on 101 pile caps and substructures, as well as all 333 piles, has been finished, claims the ministry. Additionally, all 99 approach spans—of which 76 girders have been launched—have been constructed. The vertical lift span girder is almost finished with fabrication.

On the Rameswaram end of the bridge, preparations are being made for the assembly platform for the vertical lift span. Work on laying the tracks is ongoing.

The current Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to Tamil Nadu's mainland, is 105 years old. To connect Mandapam with the Rameswaram island, which is located in the Gulf of Mannar, the original bridge was constructed in 1914. Up until 1988, when a new road bridge was constructed running parallel to the sea link, it was the only connection between the two locations.

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