CHENAB BRIDGE

Recently, Indian Railways completed the arch closure of the iconic Chenab Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir.

About Chenab Bridge:

  • It is the world’s highest railway bridge and is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL).
  • The Project was declared as a Project of National Importance in March 2002.
  • This bridge is 1,315-metre long and is the highest railway bridge in the world being 359 metres above the river bed level.
  • The completion of the steel arch is a major leap towards the completion of the 111 km long winding stretch from Katra to Banihal.
  • It is arguably the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history.

Unique Features of this Bridge:

  • Bridge designed to withstand high wind speed up to 266 Km/Hour.
  • Bridge designed for blast load in consultation with DRDO for the first time in India.
  • Bridge designed to bear earthquake forces of highest intensity zone-V in India.
  • First time on Indian Railways, Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing machine used for testing of welds.
  • First time on Indian Railways, National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited lab established at site for weld testing.
  • Extensive health monitoring and warning systems planned through state of art instrumentation.

Chenab River

  • It rises in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh state.
  • The river is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, at Tandi, 8 km southwest of Keylong, in the Lahaul and Spiti district.
  • The Bhaga river originates from Surya taal lake, which is situated a few kilometers west of the Bara-lacha la pass in Himachal Pradesh.
  • The Chandra river originates from glaciers east of the same pass (near Chandra Taal).
  • Flows Through: It flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before flowing into the Indus River.

SOURCE:THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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