page_title: Amarube Viaduct
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Amarube Viaduct / Construction
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 餘部橋梁の解説表
context_page_description: The Amarube Viaduct is a railway bridge in the town of Kami, Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, on JR West's Sanin Main Line between the stations of Yoroi and Amarube.
  The original steel trestle bridge opened in 1912, and was replaced with the current reinforced concrete bridge on 12 August 2010.
context_section_description: The terrain along the Sea of Japan coast is very rugged between the towns of Kami and Shin'onsen, and it was necessary to lay the railbed amongst the mountains.  However, due to the area's topography, it would also have to cross over villages between mountains. The route chosen incorporates large embankments and paths paralleling National Route 178. Although there was a plan for a concrete structure, it was dismissed as impractical, and an American engineer's opinion was sought. Taking that into consideration, Ministry of Railways engineer Seiichi Furukawa decided that it would be a trestle bridge. The steel for the piers was imported from the American Bridge Company's Pencoyd Iron Works via Kyūshū, and arrived in August 1910. Girders were made by Ishikawajima Shipworks (now IHI Corporation), and were sent from Kōbe in September 1911. Upon completion, its cost exceeded 330,000 yen and more than 250,000 people had worked on the project. Because of the tremendous danger involved with its construction, workers were covered by a 20,000 yen insurance plan.
  This bridge was the San'in Main Line's most difficult project after the Tokan Tunnel, one end of which begins at the bridge's east end. Following the structure's completion, it completed the rail link from Kyōto to Izumo. Over 90 years after its completion, it remained Japan's largest railway trestle and had great historical value as an early railway structure.
caption: A signboard with statistics and history about the bridge (now moved to a different location)
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