Ahmedabad, Oct. 3 -- The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Saturday said the 480 metre long and 36 metre tall bridge over Sabarmati River has been completed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
The bridge, whose height is equivalent to a 12-storey building at around 118 feet, is one of the major structures of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, the NHSRCL said in a release.
"It is located adjacent to the Western Railway's Ahmedabad-Delhi main line, which is approximately 14.8 metres above ground level The bridge is located between Sabarmati and Ahmedabad bullet train stations, approximately 1 km from Sabarmati station and 4 km from Ahmedabad station," it added.
Considering the required vertical clearances from existing infrastructure, the piers of the Sabarmati River bridge were designed with increased height, the release noted.
"The bridge is supported by eight circular piers, with diameters ranging from 6 to 6.5 metres. Of these, four piers are located within the riverbed, two are positioned on the riverbanks, one on each side, and two are located outside the riverbanks. The strategic placement of the piers has helped minimise obstruction to the river waterway," the release informed.
While most river bridges on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor have shorter spans of around 40 metres, the Sabarmati River bridge incorporates longer spans ranging from 50 to 76 metres, thereby reducing the number of piers required within the riverbed, it pointed out.
"The bridge comprises five spans of 76 metres each and two spans of 50 metres each. Each of it consists of 23 segments, which were cast in-situ at the construction site. The construction of these segments required precision engineering, skilled manpower and quality check at every stage," NHSRCL said.
The bridge has been constructed using the 'Balanced Cantilever Method', a specialised technique suited for long-span bridges over rivers and deep waterways. The method enables construction of the bridge superstructure without installing conventional scaffolding below the deck, the release said.
Segments are sequentially erected from the piers and joined through post-tensioning, with balanced construction carried out on either side of each pier to form a stable and continuous bridge deck, the release explained.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) alignment crosses multiple existing infrastructure facilities, including flyovers, bridges, railway lines and metro corridors.
The corridor features 25 river bridges, of which 21 are in Gujarat and four are in Maharashtra. Out of the 21 river bridges planned in Gujarat, 18 have now been completed, the release noted.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.