Construction of the Narmada Bridge in Gujarat as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is progressing rapidly; 19 of the 25 well foundations are complete and construction of the superstructure has begun.

With a length of 1.4 kilometres, this bridge is the longest river bridge in the Gujarat section of the project and is located between Surat and Bharuch railway stations.

The bridge design with 24 bridge spans and round piers with a height of up to 18 meters is considered an important milestone in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project.

19 FOUNDATIONS FINISHED

As the backbone of India’s first high-speed rail line, this bridge is not only a feat of modern engineering but also a symbol of the country’s infrastructural ambitions.

The Narmada River, also called the “lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat”, has immense cultural and geographical significance. It flows through central India and provides agriculture, drinking water and hydroelectric power to millions of people. It is also home to the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the third highest concrete dam in the country. The great importance of the river makes the construction of this bridge a challenging and important undertaking.

The bridge will be built on 25 well foundations, five of which are over 70 metres deep, with the deepest reaching an astonishing 77.11 metres. To put this in perspective, four of these foundations will surpass the height of Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar, which measures 72.5 metres. Well foundations are among the oldest and most effective types of foundation for structures over wide rivers, and are crucial to ensuring stability in the deep and often unstable riverbeds of the Narmada.

The hurdles

However, the construction was not without its challenges. The construction site faced significant setbacks during the monsoon and a subsequent flood in September 2023, when about 18 lakh cubic feet of water drained out of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The resulting flood damaged a temporary steel bridge critical to the construction work, submerged heavy-lift cranes and disrupted power supplies. The adverse conditions made work fronts inaccessible and jeopardized the project schedule.

Despite these hurdles, the team led by National High-Speed ​​​​Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) worked round the clock and the civil engineers managed to restore the services and fix critical issues like the tilt and displacement of the shafts caused by natural forces like tidal waves and high river currents. Using the jack-down method, these issues were resolved and the stability and alignment of the foundations were ensured.

Vivek Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, NHSRCL, said, “Our engineers are working tirelessly to ensure the successful completion of the bridge over the mighty Narmada River. This bridge is the longest river bridge in the Gujarat section of the project. Despite the complex challenges, our dedicated team continues to work with precision and determination.”

This bridge is just one of 24 river bridges planned along the corridor, 20 of which are in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra. As the project progresses, the Narmada River Bridge will become a symbol of India’s leap into the future of transportation, connecting two major cities with a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system.