J&K to have world's tallest bridge

Jammu and Kashmir can boast of having the world's tallest bridge after the construction of the Chenab bridge in Reasi district by the Indian Railways.

"The Chenab Bridge, linking Kauri and Bakkal villages in Reasi district, will be 359 metres above the bed of Chenab," said Ishwar Chand, deputy chief engineer, Konkan Railways.

After completion, the bridge will replace the 323-metre tall Millau road bridge "" currently the tallest in the world "" in southern France.

A joint-venture of Indo-European partnership and the flagship project of the Konkan Railways, the work on seven pillars of the bridge, out of 16, was going on in full swing to meet the December 2009 deadline, he said.

Situated in the highly-sensitive seismic zone, the total length of the bridge is 1,315 metres and is being constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs 600 crore.

"The 25,000 million tonnes (MTs) of steel being used in the bridge can withstand temperatures up to -20 degree Celsius to avoid any cracks due to contraction," Chand said.

Chand termed the construction as a challenging one, "especially when one has to think of laying it at a place which is totally inaccessible and in a topographically difficult zone".

The Konkan Railways has to construct a total of 118.87 kilometres of road to reach the inaccessible Kauri. The bridge is being constructed on the most difficult area of 71 kilometres of Katra-Dharam section in Reasi district.

Located at a height of 859 metres above sea level, Kauri is surrounded on three sides by the middle Shivaliks and Trikuta hills and just 25 families reside in the area.

The bridge is being constructed on the most difficult area of 71 kilometres of Katra-Dharam section in Reasi district.

Unlike other sections, like Jammu-Udhampur or Udhampur-Katra where only one-third of the area is under tunnels, the Katra-Dharam section would have 80 per cent of its route through tunnels with 50 bridges and 32 tunnels.