The image above shows the closure of the bridge’s arch over the Chenab River in India — between Bakkal and Kauri in the Jammu and Kashmir region, in the northern part of India. The railway will be built over the arch. 

Connecting the halves of the immense arch represents a milestone in the construction of the Chenab Bridge. The new bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project in the Jammu and Kashmir region in India, circa 600 kilometres north of New Delhi. The project—which aims to enhance transportation to and from the region and join the Kashmir Valley to the Indian Railways network—continues toward completion, expected by the end of 2022.  In March this year, the design and construction teams closed the bridge’s arch over the Chenab River between Bakkal and Kauri. 

Design Director Pekka Pulkkinen and Technology Director Risto Kiviluoma, WSP in Finland, discuss how the design and construction teams achieved the “arch” milestone. They also address wind engineering as well as other design-engineering requirements.