Pamban Bridge in India is also called the Indira Gandhi Road Bridge. It is one of the most impressive bridges in the country. It is the longest bridge in southern India.
Where is Pamban Bridge located?
The Pamban Bridge, which connects the Indian mainland to the island of Rameswaram, is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a cantilever bridge that connects the city of Rameswaram on Pamban Island to the mainland by crossing the Palk Strait.
You can situate the road on the map below:
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Some information about the Pamban Bridge
Road description:
The Pamban Bridge or Indira Gandhi Road Bridge is a 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) long road situated in India. It is a two-line (one each way) asphalted road. In addition, we can say that it is a flat and straight highway bordered by the sea on the sides.
The bridge is in a highly corrosive and cyclone area, so it’s a hard job to keep it in good working order.
From the road bridge, you will have an amazing view of the famous railway bridge which is known across the world. In fact, it is especially known for appearing in such Bollywood movies as Chennai Express or Kannathil Muthamittal.
Who inaugurated the Pamban bridge?
In fact, the story of this road started with the construction in 1914 of the railway part.
In 1974, the Indian government starts to build a parallel road bridge which was achieved in 1988. It was a quite great event. Indeed, it was opened by former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi himself.
The construction of the bridge was slowed down by a cyclone in 1978 which caused much damage. For that reason, the building took more than a decade.
How to get to the Pamban Bridge?
Pamban Bridge is part of National Highway 49. In order to get to the wanted place from the mainland, you will have to drive to Mandapam town which is located in the southeast of India. Once you are in Mandpam take road 87 in the Rameswaram direction.
If you enjoy scenic bridges, you can also read about the Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan.
You can visualize how to get there on this map of the drive:
A preview of the drive:
If you don’t have the possibility to go there in order to see this well-known bridge, or you just want to watch a video of it, just take a look at this video filmed by a drone on Youtube :
Is the Pamban Bridge open?
The bridge is open all year round. Although, always check the weather before driving there as it is a zone known for its high-speed winds.
Also, be aware of other people: as it is a tourist place, many tourists park on the road which can obstruct the passage and create dangerous situations.
The Pamban Bridge is known in first place for its railroad part. But the road bridge (Indira Gandhi Road Bridge) is also very impressive and often nominated as one of the most scenic bridges in India. If you are in the area, or you are planning a trip around India, you should definitely take a ride there, where you also can discover the region with Pamban Island and its Hindu temples and nice sea views.
Pictures sources: By Ravindraboopathi – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18539839 / Ashwin Kumar on flickr.com / By IM3847 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68643470
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