The Ava Bridge () was a 16-span simply supported bridge between

Ava Ava or AVA may refer to: Places Asia and Oceania * Ava Kingdom, in upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 ** Inwa, formerly Ava, the capital of Ava Kingdom ** Earl of Ava, a British colonial earldom in Burma * Ava, Iran, Gilan Province, a village * Iva ...

and

Sagaing Sagaing (, ) is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located on the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing, with its numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and ...

Mandalay Division Mandalay Region (, ; formerly Mandalay Division) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the east, and Bago Region and Kayin State ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. It was built by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in 1934. The bridge was destroyed by the retreating British Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was rebuilt in 1954 after Burmese independence. It was the only bridge to span the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...

until the early 21st century, when a spate of bridge construction was carried out by the government, including the new

Irrawaddy Bridge The Irrawaddy Bridge (Yadanabon) () (also Ayeyarwady Bridge, Yadanabon Bridge, Yadanar Pone Bridge or New Ava Bridge) is a bridge in Mandalay, Myanmar. It crosses the Irrawaddy River, to the southwest of Mandalay and Amarapura and just to the nor ...

, completed in 2008. Due to the

2025 Myanmar earthquake On 28 March 2025 at 12:50:52 Myanmar Time, MMT (06:20:52 UTC), a 7.7–7.9 earthquake struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, with an epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The strike-slip shock achieved a maximum Modif ...

, the bridge collapsed into the Irrawaddy River. Additionally, there were severe ground cracks around the bridge, in the soil. Fallen Sagaing Bridge

References

Railway bridges in Myanmar Buildings and structures in Mandalay Region Buildings and structures destroyed by the 2025 Myanmar earthquake Bridges completed in 1934 Bridges completed in 1954 Former bridges {{Myanmar-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References