Jammu and Kashmir's maiden cable- stayed bridge set to give a major boost to the state's connectivity will become operational from this month.
The Basohli bridge, constructed over river Ravi, is the fourth of cable-stayed bridge in India and first in North India.
Currently, India has three bridges of the kind - Hooghly bridge at Kolkata, Naini Bridge in Allahabad and Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link in Mumbai.
"The first cable-stayed bridge in Basholi belt of Kathua district will be dedicated to the people by Defence Minister during his visit on December 24-25. The connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir will get a major boost," Union Minister of State (MoS), PMO, Jitendra Singh said.
"With the completion of the bridge, the connectivity and tourism will improve, and bring three northern states of J&K, HP and Punjab closer," Singh said, adding it will be "game- changer".
The work on the maiden cable-stayed bridge started in September 2010 on a persistent demand from locals of Basholi, where over 22 villages were inundated after the construction of Ranjit Sagar dam with the residents evacuated to other places.
The 592-meter span bridge has been constructed by Border Roads Organization (BRO) with the cost of Rs 145 crore and is a joint venture of Railway Company IRCON and SP Singla Construction group.
Of the entire bridge, 350-meter span is cable-stayed.
"A typical cable-stayed bridge is a deck with one or two pylons erected above the piers in the middle of the span and the cables are attached diagonally to the girder to provide additional supports," a senior officer said.
The pylons form the primary load-bearing structure in these types of bridges. Large amounts of compression forces are transferred from the deck to the cables to the pylons and into the foundation.
The cable stayed-bridges have a low center of gravity, which makes them efficient in resisting earthquakes.
Officer said that nearly 300 tons specially-designed cables are needed for this bridge, which are being procured from Japan and Spain.
When complete, the bridge will accommodate two lanes of traffic as well as two footpaths, he said.
"The bridge will act as a life line for the people of
Basohli and Bani tehsils and it will shorten their distance of travel to Punjab and Himachal to a great extent," the MoS said.
It will also open the flood-gate for the tourists to the picturesque areas of Basohli, Bani, Sarthal and Bhaderwah from Dalhousie and Chamba sides.
Moreover, it will also help in boosting pilgrimage and other tourism in Basohli, Bani and Billawar tehsils.
This bridge is strategically important from defence point of view.
"Indian engineers and consultants, along with the agencies from Canada, Japan, Spain and Switzerland have been engaged for the completion of this prestigious project by the BRO authorities," he said.
Described as an engineering marvel in this part of the country, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi set into motion the construction of first cable-stayed bridge by laying foundation stone of the bridge on river Ravi at Basohli in Kathua district in May 2011 and the work on the project was commenced in September 2011.
