The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has launched its first steel bridge in Maharashtra over NH-3, or the Nashik Highway, at Dive-Anjur village in Bhiwandi, Thane district. The 100-metre-long structure weighs 1,405 metric tonnes and was installed during night-time traffic blocks to limit disruption to motorists.
The bridge was assembled at the construction site after its components were fabricated at a workshop in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, nearly 1,300 km away. The components were transported to Maharashtra on trailers, assembled on temporary trestles and then moved into position above the highway.
The structure was assembled about 17.5 metres above ground using 22 skid arrangements and 54,076 Tor-Shear Type High Strength Bolts. An automated mechanism comprising two hollow jacks, each with a capacity of 150 tonnes, and pre-tensioned Macalloy bars was used to pull the completed bridge into its final position.
The steel bridge is 14 metres high and 14 metres wide. It has a C5 protective painting system intended to protect the steel from corrosion, along with elastomeric bearings designed to support durability and vibration control. The fabrication process included precision cutting, drilling, welding and painting in accordance with approved designs and specifications.
The steel used for the bridge underwent ultrasonic testing in batches. The welders and supervisors involved in the work were certified by international welding experts, according to the report. The construction method involved assembling the bridge away from the highway before launching it over the active road corridor, allowing the main installation operation to be carried out during scheduled traffic restrictions.
Steel bridges are being used on sections of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor where longer spans are required, including crossings over highways, expressways, major rivers and railway lines. These structures allow the rail alignment to pass over transport and natural corridors without constructing supports across the full width of the obstacle.
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation is developing the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. In Maharashtra, the newly launched structure marks progress on the bridgework required to carry the elevated rail alignment across major road infrastructure. Of the 28 steel bridges planned along the corridor, 16 have been completed.
The latest launch also highlights the supply-chain scale of the project. Fabrication in Tamil Nadu, long-distance movement by trailer and final assembly in Thane required coordination between manufacturing, transport, site engineering and highway traffic management. The bridge was installed after the assembled structure was positioned above the road on temporary supports.
The remaining steel bridges will be required at crossings identified for longer spans along the corridor. Work on those structures will continue alongside other civil and track-related components of the high-speed rail project.
