The Indian Railways is now moving towards showcasing a classic example of an engineering marvel with the newly proposed Pamban Bridge. Celebrated as one of the most iconic structures built in the erstwhile era, the great Pamban cantilever bridge connects the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island, and Rameswaram.
The new bridge will have 100 spans of 18.3 m and one navigational span of 63 m. It will be 3.0 metres higher than the existing bridge with navigational air clearance of 22.0 metres above sea level.
The General Manager of Southern Railway said, “The old Pamban bridge was commissioned on February 24, 1914. So, almost 108 years passed, and now the time has come to move forward with new technologies. The estimated cost of the new bridge is Rs 250 crore and the target is to complete it this year only.”