The much-awaited news for the commuters travelling along the Nganglam-Gyalpoizhing highway, the modular Kuri Gongri Bridge has been finally launched. The bridge’s carrying capacity was tested yesterday, but it will be opened to traffic only by the end of this month. Currently, vehicles transporting goods between Monggar and Nganglam have to travel via the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang highway after the Bailey bridge over Kuri-Gongri collapsed for the second time in June, last year.
The modular bridge was launched after the 190-foot Bailey Bridge collapsed twice last year. A couple were also killed when the bridge collapsed for the second time in June, last year.
The Director General of the Department of Surface Transport visited the site to inspect the newly launched modular bridge.
Officials from the Department of Surface Transport’s regional offices in Lingmithang and Nganglam, along with international and national experts launched the bridge in two weeks.
The work to launch the modular bridge commenced on 26th February.
“The previous bridge’s material was compact 100, which is imported from India. However, the new bridge uses compact 200 types and the weight and quality of steel are different. The bridge is 4 meters in width and is taller by two meters compared to the Bailey bridge,” said Kinzang Dorji, the Chief Engineer with DoST at Lingmithang in Monggar.
To test the carrying capacity, two excavators, each weighing 14 metric tons, were made to ply on the bridge at the same time. Later, a ten-wheeler dumper truck weighing 40 metric tons was also made to cross the bridge to test its strength.
The carrying capacity of the bridge was tested in the presence of the Director General of the Department of Surface Transport and the experts.
Kinzang Dorji said, “Previously, the carrying capacity was kept to 50 metric tons. However, the load-carrying capacity of other bridges along the Nganglam-Gyalpozhing highway is only 40 metric tons. Therefore, the capacity of this bridge was also kept at 40 metric tons.”
Although the bridge launching works are complete, some concrete finishing works have yet to be completed at the edge of the bridge. Therefore, the Chief Engineer said, the bridge will remain closed to traffic until the end of the month.
“We are left with some concrete works to be finished. And we have to keep a minimum of two weeks after completing the work. So, we can open the bridge to traffic only at the end of the month,” said Kinzang Dorji.
The bridge parts were bought spending Nu 28 M. In addition, over Nu 2 M was spent on launching the bridge.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Phub Gyem
