Nine Arch Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Nine Arches Bridge in Demodara | |
| Coordinates | 6°52′36″N 81°03′42″E / 6.876709°N 81.061622°E |
| Other name(s) | The Bridge in the Sky |
| Owner | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Heritage status | Archaeological Protected Monument[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Stones, Bricks and Cement |
| Total length | 91 m (300 ft)[2] |
| Width | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Height | 24 m (80 ft) |
| No. of spans | 9 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in |
| Electrified | No |
| History | |
| Constructed by | P. K. Appuhami |
| Construction end | 1921[3] |
| Location | |
The Nine Arch Bridge (Sinhala: ආරුක්කු නමයේ පාලම; Tamil: ஒன்பது வளைவுகள் பாலம்) also called the Bridge in the Sky,[4] is a viaduct bridge in Sri Lanka and is one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the nation.[5]
Location
It is located in Demodara, between Ella and Demodara railway stations. The surrounding area has seen a steady increase of tourism due to the bridge's architectural ingenuity and the profuse greenery in the nearby hillsides.[5]
History
The construction of the bridge is generally attributed to a local Ceylonese builder, P. K. Appuhami, in consultation with British engineers.[6][7] The chief designer and project manager of the 'Upcountry Railway Line of Ceylon' project was D. J. Wimalasurendra, a distinguished Ceylonese engineer and inventor. The designer of the viaduct was Harold Cuthbert Marwood of Railway Construction Department of Ceylon Government Railway. The 1923 report "Construction of a Concrete Railway Viaduct in Ceylon", published by the Engineering Association of Ceylon, has details of all the records including the plans and drawings. [8]
Popular rumours suggest that when construction work commenced on the bridge, the Great War began between the empires of Europe and the steel assigned for this site was reallocated to Britain's War related projects at the battlefront. As a result, the work came to a standstill, leading the locals to build the bridge with stone bricks and cement, but without steel.[7][6]
A panoramic view of the Nine Arches Bridge
Nine Arches Bridge, Sri Lanka in 2017
Drone shot of the Nine Arches Bridge, Sri Lanka in 2023
References
- ↑ Gazette Extraordinary. No: 2317/57 & 1 February 2023, p. 9A.
- ↑ "DEMODARA NINE ARCH BRIDGE". Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ↑ "Demodara 9 Arch Bridge". Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ↑ "Demodara Nine Arch Bridge". 6 September 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Tourists at Nine Arch Bridge". Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- 1 2 Demodara Nine Arch Bridge, Amazing Lanka
- 1 2 Nine Arch Bridge, Lakpura
- ↑ IESL Construction report for the viaduct