Army Builds 200-Foot Bailey Bridge In 5 Days, Completes Linking North Sikkim

Nearly a month and a half after the devastating flash flood in Sikkim, which killed at least 80 people and washed away roads and bridges, connectivity has finally been fully restored to one of the worst-hit towns in North Sikkim. The Indian Army has built and inaugurated a 200-foot Bailey bridge over the Teesta river, which is one of the longest and heaviest single-span Bailey bridges to have been built by the force, in just five days. 

The crossing, which serves as the lifeline for Lachen and Lachung Valley in North Sikkim, will now pave the way for seamless movement of vehicles and relief materials to these flood-affected areas.

In a post on X on Thursday, the Trishakti Corps said, "In the continuous process of rebuilding and reconnecting North Sikkim, Indian Army & Border Roads Organisation successfully completed the construction of a 200 Feet Bailey Bridge at Chungthang, gateway to North Sikkim. Troops of #TrishaktiCorps Sappers and BRO toiled round the clock and completed the entire bridge in a record time of five days."

"The bridge was inaugurated on 16 November 2023 and opened to traffic by Mr Samdup Lepcha, Honourable Minister of Roads and Bridges Department, Government of Sikkim in the presence of officials of Indian Army, BRO, local administration and the resilient people of Sikkim. Indian Army is steadfast in the service of the nation and its citizens. Always and every time," the post said.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence said, "Vehicular connectivity to disaster-affected Lachen and Lachung Region has been established today after construction of Bailey Bridge at Chungthang over River Teesta by Army and BRO bridging experts of Project Swastik." 
  
Sikkim suffered massive damage when a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in the South Lhonak Lake led to heavy flooding downstream. What compounded the issue was the breach in a dam in Chungthang, adding more volume of water to the flash flood. This led to massive damage in Chungthang, Dikchu, Singtam, Bardang and Rangpo in Sikkim, and Teesta Bazar in West Bengal.

Parts of National Highway 10 were also washed away, snapping connectivity to the hill state.