RANGOON — The days of unobstructed vistas from the well-known Goteik Viaduct in Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township appear numbered, with construction on a new bridge to begin this year near the railway trestle, according to Oriental Highway Co. Ltd., which has won the contract to build it.
The four-lane bridge, with a capacity to take vehicles weighing up to 70 tons, is expected to take three years to complete, according to Oriental Highway. The bridge will be built near the famed Goteik Viaduct to more conveniently link Nawnghkio and Kyaukme townships, said the company.
Oriental Highway was previously an affiliate of Asia World Group and is now under National Infrastructure Holdings Co. Ltd.
The company is still holding talks on technical details of the project with China Harbour Engineering Co., and will begin work as soon as the concerned ministries greenlight the project.
Oriental Highway operates the Mandalay-Muse road, a stretch that includes 14 toll gates and is used by more than 10,000 vehicles daily.
The largest railway trestle in the world at the time of its construction, the Goteik Viaduct is more than 115 years old and was built across a valley that sees the structure span 2,260 feet in length. Its tallest tower stands at more than 800 feet.
With the viaduct drawing increasing numbers of tourists, last month authorities said they were clamping down on a restriction that prohibits walking along it, citing safety concerns.
