NHSRCL Completes Three River Bridges in Gujarat, Advancing Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor
Significant progress as multiple bridges finished, including challenging construction over Purna, Mindhola, and Ambika rivers, marking milestones in MAHSR project
NHSRCL, the organization responsible for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, has achieved significant progress by completing three river bridges in the state of Gujarat within the past month.
The first bridge, located in the Navsari district, spans the Purna river. It boasts a length of 360 meters and consists of nine full-span girders, each measuring 40 meters. The bridge’s piers range in height from 10 to 20 meters, with circular piers measuring 4 and 5 meters in diameter. Situated between Bilimora and Surat HSR stations, its construction involved continuous monitoring of high and low tides from the Arabian Sea. The foundation work faced challenges due to the river’s water level rising 5-6 meters during high tides every fortnight.
The second bridge, crossing the Mindhola river in Navsari district, spans 240 meters. It comprises six full-span girders measuring 40 meters each, supported by piers ranging from 10 to 15 meters in height. The circular piers have a diameter of 4 meters. Like the first bridge, this one also required monitoring of tides during construction.
The third bridge, located in Navsari district over the Ambika river, stretches for 200 meters. It features five full-span girders, each measuring 40 meters, and piers ranging in height from 12.6 to 23.4 meters. Circular piers with diameters of 4, 5, and 5.5 meters support the bridge. The construction faced challenges such as a steep slope of the river bank, underground rocky strata during piling, and the need to work at a height of 26 meters, equivalent to a 10-story building, inside the river.
In the last six months, a total of four river bridges have been completed for the MAHSR corridor. Overall, there will be 24 river bridges along the corridor—20 in Gujarat and 4 in Maharashtra. The longest bridge, measuring 1.2 kilometers, is currently under construction on the Narmada river in Gujarat, while a 2.28-kilometer bridge will be built over the Vaitarna river in Maharashtra.
Providing an update on the MAHSR project, the following progress has been made:
- Pile: 305.9 km
- Foundation: 251.2 km
- Pier: 208.9 km
- Viaduct: 69.3 km
The construction of eight HSR stations in Gujarat—Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati—is at various stages of completion. Surat and Anand stations have reached rail level slab and concourse level slab completion, respectively, while work has commenced on the Ahmedabad station, which will be 137 meters long.
Rajendra Prasad, Managing Director of NHSRCL, emphasized the challenges associated with constructing bridges over rivers and the need for meticulous planning. He highlighted the close monitoring of tides from the Arabian Sea during the construction of the Mindhola and Purna river bridges. The construction team worked at a height of 26 meters for the Ambika river bridge.
