The construction of the fourth river bridge along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor in Gujarat has been successfully completed.
“The recent completion of the bridge over the Ambika river in Navsari district, measuring 200 meters in length, marks another significant step forward. This bridge comprises five full-span girders, each spanning 40 meters, with piers ranging in height from 12.6 to 23.4 meters. The circular piers have diameters of 4 meters, 5 meters, and 5.5 meters,” said an official.
Construction team faced formidable challenged working on such height
The maximum height of the piers, including the pier cap, reached approximately 26 meters, equivalent to a ten-story building. “Working at such heights within the river presented a formidable challenge for the construction team,” the official said.
She said several hurdles were encountered during the construction process, including the steep slope of the river bank and the presence of underground rocky strata during piling. Overcoming these challenges required meticulous planning and the expertise of the project engineers.
The construction of the four bridges was completed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) in six months. Three of them were completed in June.
The corridor, encompassing both Gujarat and Maharashtra, will feature a total of 24 river bridges, with 20 in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra.
Work on eight high-speed rail stations is underway
According to the NHSRCL, the Narmada River bridge, currently under construction, will be the longest among the river bridges in Gujarat, spanning 1.2 kilometres. In Maharashtra, a 2.28-kilometre bridge is being constructed across the Vaitarna River.
In addition to this progress, work on eight high-speed rail stations is underway in Gujarat. These stations, including Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, are at various stages of completion. Rail level slabs and concourse level slabs have been completed for Surat and Anand stations, while work has commenced on the station in Ahmedabad, with a rail level slab measuring 137 meters.
