India's tallest bridge, higher than the Eiffel Tower, which can withstand explosions. See breathtaking pics!
Taller than Eiffel tower
It is currently under construction, and when it is completed, it will stand 359 metres above the level of the river bed-higher than the Eiffel Tower of Paris. The bridge will include a 14m-wide dual carriageway and a 1.2m-wide central verge.
Improving communication in the Kashmir valley
The Chenab bridge, which cost Rs. 1,486 crores (Rs 5.12 billion or $92 million) to build, intends to improve communication in the Kashmir Valley. It is claimed to be the largest civil-engineering difficulty encountered by any railway project in India in recent history, according to the Ministry of Railways.
Delayed construction
The Chenab Rail Bridge was supposed to be finished in December of 2009. However, the project was paused in September 2008 due to concerns about the bridge's stability and safety. The bridge project was restarted in 2010 with the goal of completing it by 2015.
Opens December 2022
The project is scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in December 2022 and will have a 120-year lifespan. It will contribute to the state's economic development and improve transit accessibility inside the state and throughout the country.
First of it's kind
Chenab Bridge is the first of its sort in India, forming a gigantic steel arch. For such huge constructions, the government has no rules or design guidelines.
The bridge design techniques are being implemented based on lessons learned from similar projects around the world.
Stability issues
For the design and construction of the bridge, the basic guideline is BS: 5400. The deep Chenab river valley beneath the bridge is prone to significant wind pressure, which jeopardises the bridge's stability.
Force Technology Laboratory in Norway ran a series of wind tunnel tests to better understand the impacts of wind speed, static force coefficients, and gust buffeting.
The bridge is built to withstand winds of up to 260 km/h. During the design process, the seismic characteristics of the project zone was also taken into account.
Can withstand explosions
Steel was chosen to construct the bridge because it is more cost-effective and can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C and wind gusts of over 200km/h. Terrorist attacks are common in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
The bridge will be composed of 63mm thick unique blast-proof steel to increase safety and security. The bridge's concrete pillars are built to withstand explosions. The construction is supposed to survive earthquakes of magnitude eight on the Richter Scale as well as TNT bombs weighing up to 40 kilogrammes.
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