KRC's Panvelnadi viaduct tallest in Asia

panaji: the panvelnadi viaduct constructed on the panvel river, a deep and without perennial water flow near ratnagiri, was typical of the rugged landscape in and around ghats. it is the most formidable viaduct. on its northern approach is benewadi tunnel, 1110 m long and on its southern approach is tike tunnel 4017 m long. the valley is about 500 m wide and at its deepest point approximately 64 m - making it the tallest bridge in asia.the konkan railway officials claim it is taller than kutub minar of delhi, the kutub minar is in a slanting position while this pillar is erect. it is also evident from the available instances that when a press party from goa visited this place and tried to have a look, one had to break his neck to have a proper glimpse at the viaduct from the ground level. the panvelnadi viaduct spans a 500 m wide valley and hence a scheme was conceived to adopt incremental launching of the psc box girder. the piers, with a tapered profile adds a magical beauty to the structure and was constructed on the principal of a highly sophisticated technology. the regional manager of krc, mr shyam sunder, said it was constructed with indigenous techniques based on the principal of steel bridge built in malaysia and this technique is being used in delhi for the construction of a bridge on the river yamuna. he said each pillar is almost 64 metre high and was constructed in a record time of just 12 days. each pillar is as thick as 38 cm and hollow inside. one can even hear echo effects in the diminishing waves like golgumat of bijapur. the entire cost of this viaduct from drawing board to the total cost of this superb structure was just rs 9 crore. krc officials keep a constant vigil and check round the clock on the bridge for security and safety reasons. exactly in the centre of this bridge, next to rail track on the right side while approaching ratnagiri, there is a anemometer which automatically changes its colour to red if the velocity exceeds the prescribed 75 kmph limit. mr shyam sunder concluded saying that this magnificent achievement was possible due to dedicated efforts of the consultants and contractors. it has bagged two prizes one each from usa and india.