Manipur: Jiribam-Imphal railway track to have bridge with tallest pier in the world

The Wold’s tallest bridge pier is being constructed in Manipur by the Indian Railways. The ambitious project in Manipur is part of the 111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway line to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge rail network of the country. Piers are the main support for a bridge, upon which the bridge is laid. The bridge, which is being built at a pier height of 141 metres, will surpass the existing record of 139 meter of Mala – Rijeka viaduct, Montenegro in Europe.

Speaking to the Media, Chief Engineer of the project, Sandeep Sharma said, with the completion of the project, the 111 km of distance will be covered in 2-2.5 hours. Presently, the distance between Jiribam-Imphal on NH-37 is 220 km, which takes about 10-12 hours of commute. After the construction, the bridge crossing Noney valley will become the world’s highest pier bridge.

He further said that the work on the bridge will be completed by December 2023. According to the Chief Engineer, the total anticipated cost of the bridge is Rs 374 crore. Speaking about the hurdles, Sharma said, “landslides often occur on NH-37 during monsoon, which is the only route to the site”. He also added that there are also some problems related to insurgency, which has created hindrances in the past.