Good news for travellers! The world’s highest steel arch rail bridge situated in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi town is set to be developed as a tourist spot. This comes after senior officials of the Union Territory (UT) including Chief Secretary AK Mehta visited the bridge site near Jyotipuram on Saturday. The officials also interacted with the engineers and railway officials and held a detailed discussion.
Chenab bridge
The 1.3-km-long Chenab bridge is located 359 metres above the riverbed. It is 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridgeforms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal. This iconic bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL).
Salient features of Chenab bridge
The construction of Chenab bridge involves fabrication of 28,660 MT steel, 10 Lakh Cum Earthwork, 66,000 Cum Concrete and 26 Km motorable roads. The arch consists of steel boxes. Concrete has been filled in the boxes of the to improve stability. The design life of the bridge is 120 years. It has been designed to withstand high wind speeds up to 266 Kmph. It can bear the earthquake forces of highest intensity zone-V in the country.
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link Project
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link Project (USBRL) has been the most challenging work undertaken by Indian Railways so far. The project was declared as a “National Project” in 2002. This Project involves 38 Tunnels (combined length of 119 Km), the longest Tunnel (T-49) having a length of 12.75 Km and is the country’s longest transportation tunnel. There are 927 nos. of Bridges (combined length of 13 Km).
About Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district:-
Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district attracts thousands of tourists every year. It has many well-known historical and natural sites such as Shiv Khori, Salal Dam and Bhimgarh Fort. The district also houses the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills.