Ahmedabad: A 100-metre-long steel bridge was completed in the city on the Kalupur-Shahpur stretch for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The bridge is the 13th steel bridge finished in the state, out of 17 planned.National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) officials said the bridge weighs 1,098 metric tonnes and runs parallel to the Sabarmati main line of Western Railway. It is 14 metres high and 15.5 metres wide.Officials said the location required a departure from the standard span-by-span viaduct construction used across much of the Ahmedabad section, where spans typically range from 30 metres to 50 metres. “At this stretch, the bullet train alignment crosses above an underground metro tunnel on the Kalupur–Shahpur metro station section. To prevent any transfer of load from the bullet train structure onto the metro tunnel, foundations were positioned at a safe distance, necessitating a longer span of about 100 metres,” said a senior NHSRCL official.With the increased span requirement, the superstructure design was changed from a span-by-span viaduct to a steel truss bridge to maintain structural safety for both the high-speed rail corridor and the metro infrastructure, the officials said.The bridge was assembled on temporary trestles at a height of 16.5 metres. After assembly, the temporary supports were dismantled, and the structure was lowered and placed on the permanent support system.
