New Rs 535 cr Pamban Bridge to be opened in June

RAMESWARAM: India's first vertical lift rail bridge over the sea from Ramanathapuram Mandapam to Rameswaram has become a reality. It replaces the Pampan Bridge, a memorial to the damage caused by the 1964 cyclone that made Dhanushkodi a ghost town and a 115-passenger train swallowed by the sea. The current 110-year-old bridge was closed on December 23, 2022 for safety reasons.

The new bridge of 2.08 km will be completed before June 30. With this, the journey between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi will be more smooth. The key feature is the 2.65 degree curved alignment of the bridge. Construction of the fixing point of the lift span will be completed this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new bridge in November 2019. It was manufactured by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. The construction started in February 2020 but was delayed due to Covid. Before the road bridge was opened in 1988, this bridge used to connect Mandapam and Rameswaram island.

New bridge

• 12.5 meters above sea level. Three meters more than the old bridge
• The 72.5 meter long span in the middle will rise steeply to allow boats and ships to pass through.
• Ships up to 22 meters in height can go
• The bridge is on 100 pillars at a distance of 18.3 meters. The lane may be doubled in the future
• Technologies like stainless steel reinforcement, composite sleepers and long life painting system.

The first bridge destroyed by the cyclone

Earlier, people used to go to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) through this bridge. The train had reached Dhanushkodi that day. From there it is only 16 km to Sri Lanka. On 22 December 1964, a cyclone devastated Dhanushkodi. Although the Pamban Bridge was damaged, the opening part was not damaged. Under the supervision of 'Metroman' E Sreedharan, the repair of the bridge was completed in 46 days.