India made history with the inauguration of the world’s highest railway arch bridge, the Chenab Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir — a part of the audacious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project. On Friday, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the bridge. Today, one of the major contribution to the successful construction of the bridge stands Dr. G. Madhavi Latha, a renowned rock engineering specialist and professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
For 17 years, Dr. Latha has been the guiding force in one of India’s most challenging infrastructure projects. The bridge was approved in 2003, and since 2005, she worked as a key geotechnical consultant, advising on foundation design, slope stability and rock anchoring systems across the bridge’s complex Himalayan terrain. Her work was instrumental in ensuring the ₹1,486-crore Chenab Bridge could withstand seismic activity, high wind speeds (up to 260 km/h) and unpredictable geological formations.
Design of the Chenab bridge
Standing at 359 metres above the Chenab riverbed—higher than the Eiffel Tower—the bridge spans 1,315 metres, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India by rail for the first time. The project, executed by Afcons Infrastructure in collaboration with Northern Railways, also adopted a rare “design-as-you-go” approach due to unexpected underground conditions.
Dr. Latha’s adaptive engineering strategies allowed the team to respond in real time to these on-site challenges.
After another IISc faculty member stepped down midway, Dr. Latha single-handedly continued the consulting responsibilities through to completion in 2022. Which lead up to the bridge’s full-speed trial runs and official inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 6, 2025.
The Indian Institute of Science proudly recognized her achievement on social media. They noted the contribution of her team in anchoring one of India’s most iconic engineering landmarks.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya congratulate her by stating, “Congratulations to Prof. Madhavi Latha of @iiscbangalore for your remarkable contribution to the #ChenabBridge — the world’s highest railway arch bridge, inaugurated today by PM Shri @NarendraModi. Your role in this engineering marvel inspires young minds, especially women in STEM, to lead in nation-building.”
About Madhavi Latha
Dr. Madhavi Latha is currently a senior professor (HAG) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. She completed her B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 1992 from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University with first class and distinction.
She then earned a gold medal during her M.Tech at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Warangal, where she specialized in Geotechnical Engineering.
In 2000, she completed her Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from IIT Madras.
Over the years, Dr. Latha has received several honors. In 2021, she won the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award from the Indian Geotechnical Society. In 2022, she was also recognized among the Top 75 Women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) in India.
