Irrawaddy Bridge

The old Ava (or Inva or Inwa Bridge) across the Irrawaddy River had a span of 3,948 feet (1,203 m). Built by the British in 1934, until the 1990s,^[2] it was the only bridge which spanned this river. The Ava had aged, and its carrying capacity became limited to under 15-ton capacity trucks since 1992. Heavily laden vehicles crossed the river with Z-craft ferries, resulting in less efficient transportation of goods.^[4]

To ease the traffic congestion and to help improve the overall economic conditions of Burma, a new bridge was planned by the government. International tender was invited in early 2002 for ts construction. The tender for the highway bridge envisaged planning, design and construction. The bidding process lasted eight months, and the work was awarded to China CAMC Engineering Cc., Ltd. in October 2002. The contract was signed in Rangoon for a tendered amount of US$10.90 million on 19 November 2002.^[1] (By 2004, 35 bridges were under construction in Burma, along with the Irrawaddy of Yadanabon.^[6]) The new bridge was opened on 11 April 2008.^[4][7]

Irrawaddy Bridge was built by the Public Works of the Ministry of Construction. It has total span of 5,614 feet (1,711 m) long and has a four-lane motorway of 49 feet (15 m) width with pedestrian lanes of 6 feet (1.8 m) wide on the flanks. It is designed for a carrying capacity of 60 tons.^[4] The bridge is a flexible beam structure with three rigid arches of 224 meters each.^[1] The main bridge is 3,694 feet (1,126 m) long. Its approach on the Mandalay side is 1,140 feet (350 m) long and that on the Sagaing side is 7780 feet (240 m).^[8]

The Thiri Mangala overpass above the railway crossing (which used to hold up traffic) involved a reinforced concrete bridge of 485 feet (148 m) length with a two-lane motorway with a carrying capacity of 60 tons. It is designed to provide a clearance of 52 feet (16 m) width and 17 feet (5.2 m) height to pass the trains.^[4]

Bibliography

• Cummings, Joe (2000). Myanmar (Burma). Lonely Planet. ISBN 9780864427038. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
• Gupta, Arvind; Chaturvedi, Mukul; Joshi, Akshay (1 January 2004). Security and Diplomacy: Essential Documents. Manas Publications. ISBN 978-81-7049-202-3. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
• Seekins, Donald M. (21 August 2006). Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar). Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6486-3. Retrieved 21 September 2013.

21°52′39″N 95°59′42″E / 21.87750°N 95.99500°E / 21.87750; 95.99500