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The Goteik viaduct (Burmese: ဂုတ်ထိပ်တံတား, MLCTS: gu.hti.ta.aa., also known as Gohteik viaduct or Gok Hteik viaduct[2]) is a railway trestle over the Goteik Gorge of the Myitnge River in western Shan State, Myanmar (also known as Burma). The bridge is between the two towns of Nawnghkio and Gokhteik, and it's 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 is the highest bridge in Myanmar and when it was completed, the largest railway trestle in the world. It is located approximately 100 km northeast of Mandalay.
Goteik viaduct ဂုတ်ထိပ်တံတား | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 22°20′35″N 96°51′35″E |
| Carries | 1 rail track |
| Crosses | Gohtwin Stream |
| Locale | Nawnghkio, between Lashio and Pyin Oo Lwin |
| Official name | Goteik viaduct |
| Other name(s) | Gohteik viaduct |
| Maintained by | Ministry of Rail Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Trestle[1] |
| Total length | 689 metres (2,260 ft) |
| Width | single rail track |
| History | |
| Construction start | 28-4-1899 |
| Construction end | 1-1-1900 |
| Opened | 1-1-1900 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | Daily two trains. Mandalay to Lashio and Lashio to Mandalay. |
| Toll | USD 4,00/ MMK 3950 |
| Location | |
 | |
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]
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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.[5]
Due to its technical and natural condition it is considered a masterpiece of world standard.[citation needed]
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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.[6]
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".[7]
- Rail transport in Myanmar
- Wohlers, David. Potential structural deficiencies within the Gokteik Viaduct Railway Bridge in Upper Burma (https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/full/10.1680/jenhh.21.00102?src=recsys)
- Wohlers, David C., and Tony Waters. 2022. "The Gokteik Viaduct: A Tale of Gentlemanly Capitalists, Unseen People, and a Bridge to Nowhere" Social Sciences 11, no. 10: 440. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/10/440
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