Bridge over Gobind Sagar Lake completed

Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, September 30

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the construction of the much-awaited 632 metre-long bridge on the Sutlej at Nauni village near Bilaspur town.

Travel time reduced

• Nauni bridge has been constructed at Rs 110 cr
• Travel time between Dharamsala and Shimla will be reduced by an hour
• It will reduce distance between Hamirpur and Shimla by 16 kilometre
• Will bypass congested stretch via Kandrour, Bilaspur and Ghagas
• It has piers over 115-ft high

The bridge, which is across the Gobind Sagar Lake, will benefit the commuters on the Dharamsala-Shimla and the Kiratpur Sahib-Manali national highways.

After the traffic is diverted through the Nauni bridge, the distance between Hamirpur and Shimla will be reduced by 16 kilometre. The travel time between the two towns will significantly reduce by an hour, as commuters won’t have to face traffic snarls on the Ghagas bridge and Bilaspur town.

The Nauni bridge, which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 110 crore, will connect intersection of Shimla-Dharamsala and the old Kiratpur Sahib-Manali roads at Nauni village with the new Kiratpur Sahib-Manali fourlane highway. After its inauguration, commuters fromthe Kangra-Hamiprur side will not have to travel by Kandrour, Bilaspur and Ghagas to reach Brahmpukhar for Shimla.

At present, the distance to Brahmpukhar from Bhager is 35 kilometre while through the newly constructed bridge, it is 19 kilometre.

The bridge is a part of the Kiratpur Sahib-Manali four-lane project and has been delayed by over two years. But the NHAI claimed that after the construction on project started, it was completed in a record time. Varun Chari, Project Director of the NHAI, here said that the Nauni bridge on the Govind Sagar Lake was a challenge but its construction was completed in record time.

The Nauni bridge is one of the longest bridges in the state and it has piers over 115-foot high. But only small portion of the piers is visible, as majority part is submerged under the lake.

Chari said the bridge had 11 spans, including three that are 40 metre apart and eight that are 64 metre apart. The road connecting to the NH will be restored in two months as it is being revamped for a railway crossing, he added.

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