NHSRCL constructs 3 river bridges for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor

New Delhi [India], July 2 : The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor has achieved significant progress with the completion of three river bridges in the state of Gujarat over the past month.
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has successfully constructed these crucial infrastructures, marking another milestone in the development of this ambitious project.
The first completed river bridge spans the Purna River in Navsari district. This bridge boasts a length of 360 meters and consists of nine full-span girders, each measuring 40 meters. The piers supporting the bridge range in height from 10 to 20 meters, with circular piers having 4 and 5 meters diameters.
The bridge is situated between the Bilimora and Surat HSR stations. The construction of this bridge faced the challenge of fluctuating water levels during high tides, necessitating continuous monitoring of high and low tides from the Arabian Sea.
The second river bridge, which crosses the Mindhola River in Navsari district, spans 240 meters. It comprises six full-span girders, also measuring 40 meters each. The piers supporting this bridge range in height from 10 to 15 meters, featuring circular piers with a diameter of four meters.
Similar to the first bridge, the construction team monitored the high and low tides from the Arabian Sea throughout the construction process.
The third completed river bridge is situated over the Ambika River in Navsari district. With a length of 200 meters, this bridge consists of five full-span girders measuring 40 meters each.
The piers supporting the bridge range in height from 12.6 to 23.4 meters, featuring circular piers with 4, 5, and 5.5 meters diameters. The construction process faced several challenges, including a steep river bank slope, underground rocky strata during piling, and the need to work at a maximum pier height of around 26 meters, equivalent to a 10-story building.
These recent bridge completions bring the total number of river bridges constructed for the MAHSR corridor to four within the past six months. The entire corridor comprises a total of 24 river bridges, with 20 in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra.
Rajendra Prasad, Managing Director of NHSRCL, emphasized the challenges faced during the construction of these river bridges. He stressed on the meticulous planning required for such projects and the close monitoring of tides from the Arabian Sea during the construction of the Mindhola and Purna river bridges.
Furthermore, he mentioned the dedication of the engineering team, who executed the construction of the Ambika river bridge at a height of 26 meters.
Notably, the longest river bridge on the corridor, spanning 1.2 kilometres, is currently under construction over the Narmada river in Gujarat. Additionally, a 2.28-kilometre-long bridge will be constructed over the Vaitarna river in Maharashtra.
In terms of the overall progress of the MAHSR project, significant milestones have been achieved. The pile work has reached 305.9 kilometers, the foundation work spans 251.2 kilometers, the piers have been constructed along 208.9 kilometers, and the viaduct extends over 69.3 kilometers.
As for the HSR stations in Gujarat, construction is underway at eight stations which include Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, with various stages of completion.