Goteik viaduct

The Goteik viaduct was a railway trestle over the Goteik Gorge of the Myitnge River in western Shan State, Myanmar. The bridge was between the two towns of Nawnghkio and Gokhteik, and it was 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 was the highest bridge in Myanmar and when it was completed, the largest railway trestle in the world. It was located approximately 100 km northeast of Mandalay.
The bridge was constructed in 1899 by the Pennsylvania and Maryland Bridge Construction Company, and opened in 1900. 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.
On 24 August 2025, the Burmese military junta declared that the Goteik Viaduct had been destroyed by rebels in the ongoing Myanmar civil war. The junta blamed the Ta'ang National Liberation Army for the attack. The TNLA denied responsibility and claimed the military bombed the viaduct. The northern part of the 60 feet long beam of the bridge that was fitted between the retaining wall and the pier number as well as the retaining wall itself is destroyed.

Bridge data

The viaduct measures from end to end, and includes 15 towers which span, along with a double tower long. The 15 towers support 10 deck truss spans of along with six plate girder spans long, and an approach span of. Many sources have put the height of the bridge at. 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. The cost of construction was £111,200.

Diversion

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.

Mention

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".