On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first-ever sea bridge with vertical lift in Tamil Nadu state on the same day Ram Navami was observed.
On the occasion of the ceremony, PM Modi also flagged off a new Coast Guard ship, which crossed the bridge, and a train connection between Tambaram (Chennai) and Rameswaram. Returning after a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, he conducted a puja at Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and laid the foundation stone for various rail and road projects totaling more than ₹8,300 crore in the state.
The Ministry of Railways added that the 2.07-kilometre-long bridge across the Palk Strait symbolizes India’s engineering capability and infrastructure development frenzy. The 72.5-meter navigational span bridge that connects Rameswaram Island with the mainland at Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district cost more than ₹700 crore to construct by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The bridge features a vertically raisable 17-meter tall navigational span of 72.5 meters to provide for safe navigation by ships.
Now constructed on one span, the bridge will be designed to carry two rail tracks and is approved for speeds of up to 80 km/h of trains. It is to handle increased rail traffic and weight, and its estimated life period is 100 years. The most recent engineering practices were used to minimize maintenance needs, such as stainless steel reinforcement, full-welded joints, high-strength protective coating, and polysiloxane for corrosion protection in the seashore environment.
The New Pamban Bridge has been equated with mythological structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge in the USA and Tower Bridge in the UK, due to its modern design and technological features. The original Pamban Bridge, built in 1914 by British engineers, had a manual lifting system and was closed to rail traffic due to safety concerns.
On his way back from Sri Lanka, PM Modi tweeted a bird’s eye view of the Ram Setu, suggesting a divine timing since it was on the day of the Surya Tilak ceremony at Ayodhya. Ram Setu, or Adams Bridge, is a 48-kilometer shoal chain connecting India and Sri Lanka, separating the Gulf of Mannar from the Palk Strait.
