The newly inaugurated Dobra Chanti Bridge of Uttarakhand is listed as the Longest India’s Single Lane Motorable Bridge. It is instituted in the district of Tehri. This bridge connects the Tehsil of Tehri and Pratapnagar over the Bhagirathi river. The reason behind the naming of this bridge as “Dobra Chanti Bridge” is that it connects the Dobra village of Tehri with the Chanti village of Pratapnagar.
Structure of Dobra Chanti Bridge
Let us know about the structure of India’s Largest Motorable Bridge
Length of Suspension – 440 m
Approach Bridge on Dobra Side – 260 m
Approach Bridge on Chanti – 25 m
Widht of the Bridge – 7m ( Road on 5.5 m and footpath of 75 cm each on the opposite sides )
Height of Towers – 58m
Total Load Capacity – Approx 14 cars of 15 tons each.
Altitude from Sea Level – 850 m
Age – Approx 100 years
Reason for the Construction of Dobra Chanti Bridge
In October 2005, when the Tehri Lake Reservoir water filling starts, around 16 bridges submerged in the water. The bridge connecting Tehri and Pratapnagar district also submerged. So, from then if a person has to cover the distance between the two places, they have to cover a very long distance. So, in order to cut off the distance of traveling, Dobra Chanti Bridge was constructed.
Benefits and Advantages of Dobra Chanti Pull
The various benefits and advantages of Dobra Chanti Pull are as follows: –
- After the bridge connecting Tehri and Pratapnagar submerged in water, people have to choose various routes to cover the distance. The other routes either very long or it is very expensive for the locals. So, in order to cut off the distance and high process, this pull was built.
- In accordance with the new Project of the UK government, “13 District 13 Destinations”, this place has to be recognized as a tourist attraction spot. A boat point and lighting is developed on the bridge.
- The point where the bridge was built comes under the earthquake zone. At around 7.5 km beneath the earth’s surface, there is Manar Tear Fault at Tectonic Plate. So, the probability of a high magnitude Earthquake is always there. As it is a suspension bridge, it can withstand earthquakes and high-speed winds.
History and Facts of India’s longest Single Lane Motorable Bridge
After the old bridge over the Baghirathi river was submerged in 2005, the proposal for the new bridge was started in 2006. Moreover, the proposed length of the bridge was 592m. But after the change in design in 2008, the length of pull increased to 725 m. The initial design was made by IIT Roorkee. Up to 2012, only 260 m of approach bridge and 2 towers were built. The cost of that construction was 125 crore.
But in 2012, a similar design bridge in Chauras (Srinagar) was broken up. So, the design was rechecked by IIT Kharagpur. Then the authority contacted Yooshin Engineering Corporation Consultant of South Korea for the new design. So, in October 2014, the new design was made. The cost of the contract and design was 10 crores. Moreover, in February 2015, the work started with 75 crores to finish the work in August 2017. In 2018, the bridge from both sides is almost completed. But in August 2018, 3 suspension breaks. Finally, on 8th November 2020, this bridge was open up for the common public.
By:-
Prakhar Sharma
Founder, Upgrading India
