Bridge erected across Raini in record time on road leading to China border
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has restored connectivity by launching a 200 feet Bailey bridge across the Rishiganga river on the Joshimath-Malari road in the Niti valley. Apart from providing connectivity in this high altitude area, this road is also strategically important as it leads to the border region with China. The earlier bridge near Raini village had been washed away by the disaster on February 7.
According to the BRO, the bridge has been completed in a record time of eight days. The 90 meter span RCC bridge across the Rishiganga river near Raini village on this axis and the only link to the hamlets in the Niti valley up to the border area was washed away in the disaster. The local residents also expressed happiness at the completion of the bridge.
Project Shivalik chief engineer Ashu Singh Rathore informed that the BRO had mobilised its might in this operation and put in various resources including about 100 plants, equipment and vehicles which also included about 15 heavy equipment/machinery like excavators, dozers, wheel loaders and compressor. One rock cutting machine was also airlifted for the task.
The selection of the bridge site was a challenging task as the Joshimath side of the bridge had 20-30 metre high debris and the Malari side has steep vertical rock face. Posing a formidable engineering challenge the bridge site was finalised on February 10. The ground on the bridge site had lost its safe bearing capacity due to debris deposition hence an abutment employing innovative soil stabilisation techniques was designed to provide a safe substructure to the planned bridge.
Initially the bridge was to be completed by March 20 but the BRO managed to complete it much earlier. The BRO director general lieutenant general Rajiv Chaudhry had commended the efforts by the BRO team. Senior officials of the organisation were the first to pass across the new bridge in their vehicles.
Saturday, 06 March 2021 | PNS | New Tehri
