India's first vertical lift sea bridge to be completed soon

The Ministry of Railways announced on Saturday that India's first vertical lift sea bridge is nearly 84 percent complete and scheduled to open in March 2023. The sanctified island of Rameswaram is connected to mainland Tamil Nadu by the new Pamban Bridge.

Indian Railways is building the state-of-the-art bridge, which will be the first of its kind in the country. The 2.05 km long new Pamban railway bridge is currently being rebuilt, according to a statement from the railway ministry.

Work on 101 pile caps and substructures, as well as all 333 piles, has been completed, the ministry said. In addition, all 99 approach spans - of which 76 girders have been launched - have been built. The vertical lift span girder is almost finished fabrication.

At the Rameswaram end of the bridge, preparations are being made for the mounting platform for the vertical lift span. Work on laying the tracks is underway.

The current Pamban Railway Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to mainland Tamil Nadu, is 105 years old. To connect Mandapam to the island of Rameswaram, which is in the Gulf of Mannar, the original bridge was built in 1914. Until 1988, when a new road bridge was built parallel to the sea link, these were the only two locations.