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New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Work on India's first cable-styled bridge, also called the Anji bridge, is in full swing in Jammu and Kashmir's Raesi district. When it is completed, the bridge is being touted as one of the engineering marvels of the Indian Railways.
According to Northern Railway officials, the work on the Anji Bridge, which is coming up on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) section of Northern Railway in Jammu and Kashmir is in full swing.
The bridge is being built on the Katra-Banihal railway line at village Kauri in the Reasi district.
Officials said that the bridge will be 359 meters above the Chenab river bed -- 30 meters higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
An official said, the bridge has been designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 260 kmph and its lifespan will be 120 years.
According to railway ministry officials, it is the seventh-largest arch-shaped bridge in the world as there is no support except on both sides of the river banks.
The arch is being supported by piers and trusses.
One of the supporting RCC and steel pillars is 133 meters high.
The officials said that the Chenab bridge has been designed by consultants from Finland and Germany and the work is being executed by the Konkan Railways.
Once completed, the Anji bridge will connect Katra and Reasi. The total length of the Anji Khad Bridge is 473.25 metres. The length of the viaduct is 120 metres and the central embankment has a length of 94.25 metres. It has support of 96 cables.
The concrete pillars of the bridge have been designed to withstand explosions, it will include a 1.2 metre-wide central verge and a 14 metre-wide dual carriageway.
According to railway officials, the construction activities are in progress on the Udhamur-Katra, Katra-Quazigund, and Quazigund-Srinagar-Baramulla sections of the project.
The Katra-Qazigund leg is the most difficult stretch of this project. The alignment of this stretch which is almost 129 Km long, passes through the Patni and Pir Panjal ranges.
According to railways. there are 37 bridges in the USBRL, out of which 20 has been completed while the work on 17 bridges is underway.
There are 163 kilometres of tunnels in the USBRL project of which the work on over 126 kilometres.--IANS
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