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The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been isolated from the rest of the country by both geographical and political reasons. The Government of India had worked tirelessly in this regard to connect it with the other parts of the country using numerous projects and schemes. Due to a physical disconnect, the State has lacked economic development and progress making it one of the least developed and poor in the country. The USBRL project ( Also referred to as The Golden Joint ) is a massive one that was conceived and later on successfully completed to bring about connectivity between many of the inaccessible regions, villages of the State with other neighbouring regions, thus opening up ease of transport and business via the Indian Railways. Most of these places were till now reached only via waterways and unreliable roadways.
Major Challenges -
No transport till the point for which roads had to be constructed
Rough, rugged, mountainous terrain of the State
Difficult Himalayan Geology
High wind speed and very low temperature in the region.
Deep gorge of the Chenab river
Innovations in the Architectural Design -
Large span single arch steel bridge
Approach viaducts on either side
Two - ribbed arch that has been fabricated from large steel trusses
Trussle chords are sealed steel boxes that are internally stiffened along with being filled with concrete
This will assist in control of wind - induced forces on the bridge
No need of internal painting due to the concrete filling
Minimization of the number of bearings to reduce need of maintenance, inspection and it also leads to an improvement in the riding quality
The piers near the arch are as per IRS ( Indian Railway Standards ) and IRC ( Indian Road Congress )
Additionally UIC ( , International Union of Railways ), BS ( British Standards ) and Euro Standards have also been Incorporated
Involvement of Global experts
Technical Details regarding the Design Considerations -
Limit state philosophy of design has been decided to be followed as per BS codes
Computation of wind load effects as per wind tunnel tests
Site specific seismic spectra developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee
Provision of Euro code 8 for ductility detailing of very tall and hollow rectangular RCC piers
Provision of long welded rail (LWR) over the bridges and resulting force calculation as per UIC - 774-3R guidelines
Blast resistant design used
Design checking for fatigue as per BS codes
Deformation limits as per comfort criteria of UIC - 776-2R and UIC 776 -3R guidelines
Redundancy provided in the structures, for lower level of operation during mishaps and against collapse in extreme cases of one pier failure
The Chenab River Railway Bridge has been a tremendous success for all the minds as well as manpower involved right from its conception, execution to its completion. In spite of innumerable obstacles ranging from the geographical, climatic and technical to the sheer massive volume of the project that needed to be overcome, the fruition was immensely emotional for the teams involved. The inauguration had the workers euphoric with the unfurling of the Indian Flag, chants of Vande Mataram and bursting of crackers.
The bridge lies in the lap of ethereal natural beauty with beautiful views of the river, mountains and valleys. The cover of clouds with the sun shining through on the gleaming bridge is a sight to behold. A trip across the bridge is surely going to be an unforgettable experience of a lifetime due to various factors ranging from architectural marvel, spell binding views and the feeling of victory of the human spirit that can achieve the impossible with determination and courage.
It also adds to the tourism attractions of an already tourist-rich state.
Images : Wikipedia and www.architecturaldigest.in
