Bow-string bridge at Ladhewali rly crossing to be ready soon

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, June 10

Even as the PWD and the Railways construction wing have completed 80 per cent of their work for the construction of Ladhewali overbridge across Pathankot railway line, the main pendency remains at the end of the BBMB which is to raise an additional tower along the site.

BBMB to raise new tower along the site

The PWD has already readied both the approach roads to the bridge. The Railways, too, has readied a bow-string bridge’ which only remains to be installed at the site.

But the main glitch remains at the end of the BBMB which will have to raise a new tower along the site to get a mandatory vertical clearance of 9 m.

The PWD has already readied both the approach roads to the bridge. The Railways Department, too, has readied a ‘bow string bridge’ which only remains to be installed at the site between the two stretches. But the main glitch remains at the end of the BBMB which will have to raise a new tower along the site to get a mandatory vertical clearance of 9 m. The new high tower will ensure that the power lines are shifted higher. “Till this work gets executed, we cannot throw open the bridge for public even if it gets readied,” said PWD XEN Bhagwinder Singh Tuli.

Jalandhar will be the second district in Punjab to get a bow-string bridge after Ludhiana. The idea is not to get an aesthetic look of the bridge but to ensure that the iron girders used in it are able to withstand the pressure of the passing vehicles. Explaining this, Tuli said, “As per the new standards set by the Railways, all overbridges coming up will have bow-string shape instead of the previous ones in concrete owing to safety reasons. The contractor cannot have his sweet will to chose the design for it.”

Technical teams of the Railways at the site said, “We will install the bow-string bridge whenever the department decides to keep the railway traffic shut for a day.”

5PWD officials said it could take them a month to complete the bridge from their side. “But the bridge cannot be opened till the BBMB does its tower work and raises the level of its lines to the optimum height. This can take a little longer”, said an official.

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