Title - Pamban bridge: an engineering marvel

MADURAI: Ever since the cantilever bridge across Palk Strait connecting Rameswaram island with the mainland was opened for traffic in 1914, it was a boon to the fishermen for transporting seafood and tourists visiting the famed
Ramanathaswamy Temple.

As India's first sea bridge, it has also become a tourist attraction by itself as people watch in awe when the two leaves of the bridge open up to let ships to pass through. On an average, 15 vessels pass through the opened bridge every month. The bridge, nearing 100 years, is considered a marvel of engineering and has been smoothly functioning despite being built in a highly corrosive environment.

The bridge with 143 piers spans a distance of 2-km between the mainland and the island and is the second longest sea bridge in India after the Bandra - Worli sea link in Mumbai that is about 2.3-km long. The metre gauge railway bridge which was converted into broad gauge in 2007.

The bridge had been the only link between Rameswaram island and the Indian mainland transporting hundreds of pilgrims everyday till 1988 when a road bridge was constructed parallel to it.

"There were instances of boats ramming into the bridge in the past, but this is probably the first time that we are witnessing the bridge getting damaged due to a boat collision," said K S Soosai, a fishermen from Pamban.