(The Gist of PIB) 28 Kassowal bridge [MAY-2020]

(The Gist of PIB) 28 Kassowal bridge

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed and opened a new permanent bridge on the river Ravi connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to the rest of the country much ahead of its schedule.

The 484-meter bridge was built by 141 Drain Maintenance Coy of 49 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) of Project Chetak.
The bridge costing Rs 17.89 crore excluding the approaches, consists of 16 cells of 30.25- meter length each.
The enclave of around 35 square kilometers had hitherto been connected via pontoon bridge of limited load capacity.
The pontoon bridge used to be dismantled every year prior to the Monsoon or else it would have got washed away in the strong currents of the river. This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be tilled by farmers during the Monsoon.
The local population and the Army (by virtue of the sensitivity of the enclave) required a Class 70 permanent bridge to give all-weather connectivity to the enclave. The Border Roads Organisation conceived and planned for a permanent bridge.