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Goteik viaduct
Railway trestle in Shan State, Myanmar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Goteik viaduct (Burmese: ဂုတ်ထိပ်တံတား, MLCTS: gu.hti.ta.aa., also known as Gohteik viaduct or Gok Hteik viaduct[2]) was a railway trestle over the Goteik Gorge of the Myitnge River in western Shan State, Myanmar (also known as Burma). The bridge was between the two towns of Nawnghkio and Gokhteik, and it was part of the railways between Pyin Oo Lwin, the summer capital of the former British colonial administrators of Burma, and Lashio, the principal town of northern Shan State. It was the highest bridge in Myanmar and when it was completed, the largest railway trestle in the world. It was located approximately 100 km northeast of Mandalay.
The bridge was constructed in 1899 by the Pennsylvania and Maryland Bridge Construction Company, and opened in 1900.[3] The components were made by the Pennsylvania Steel Company and were shipped from the United States. The rail line was constructed to help expand the influence of the British Empire in the region. The construction project was overseen by Sir Arthur Rendel, engineer for the Burma Railway Company.[4]
On 24 August 2025, the Burmese military junta declared that the Goteik Viaduct had been destroyed by rebels in the ongoing Myanmar civil war. The junta blamed the Ta'ang National Liberation Army for the attack. The TNLA denied responsibility and claimed the military bombed the viaduct. The northern part of the 60 feet long beam of the bridge that was fitted between the retaining wall (AB 2) and the pier number (P 16) as well as the retaining wall itself is destroyed.[5][6] [7]
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Bridge data
The viaduct measures 689 metres (2,260 ft) from end to end, and includes 15 towers which span 12 metres (39 ft), along with a double tower 24 metres (79 ft) long. The 15 towers support 10 deck truss spans of 37 metres (121 ft) along with six plate girder spans 18 metres (59 ft) long, and an approach span of 12 metres (39 ft). Many sources have put the height of the bridge at 250 metres (820 ft). That is supposedly a measurement to the river level as it flows underground through a tunnel at the point where it passes underneath the trestle. The true height of the bridge, as measured from the rail deck to the ground on the downstream side of the tallest tower, is 102 metres (335 ft). The cost of construction was £111,200.[8]
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Diversion
Because the line from Mandalay to Lashio is considered to be of strategic value, a diversionary route to the valley floor, featuring spectacular horseshoe curves, was built in 1976–1978, to keep trains running even if the Goteik viaduct was sabotaged. Those tracks were still visible from the viaduct in 2013, but the diversionary line has been left to the tropical vegetation since 2002.[9]
Mention
The bridge is mentioned in Paul Theroux's acclaimed travelogue The Great Railway Bazaar. He described the viaduct as "a monster of silver geometry in all the ragged rock and jungle, its presence was bizarre".[10]
See also
Further reading
- Wohlers, David. "Potential structural deficiencies within the Gokteik Viaduct Railway Bridge in Upper Burma." Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage, 2021.
- Wohlers, David C., and Tony Waters. "The Gokteik Viaduct: A Tale of Gentlemanly Capitalists, Unseen People, and a Bridge to Nowhere." Social Sciences 11, no. 10 (2022): 440.
References
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