DMRC’s engineering feat: Steel span placed across NH-9, Meerut E-Way without disturbing traffic

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) achieved an engineering milestone by successfully placing a mammoth 58-metre span across the NH-9, and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, just after the Noida Electronic City Metro station on the Blue Line.

According to DMRC, this is perhaps the first occasion when the Metro viaduct has crossed over an operational expressway.

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A reversal facility is being constructed for the Metro trains after the Noida Electronic City station so that trains can smoothly reverse after completing their trips.

This section involves the erection of two special steel spans of 58 metres and 73 metres, both of which will cross the National Highway- 9, and the Delhi– Meerut Expressway.

While the 58-metre span (58.216 metres) has now been installed between Piers 384 and 385, the other span shall be erected within the next few months of this year.

The civil work for this reversal facility shall be completed by the end of the year, after which other components such as track laying and electrification shall be carried out.

Interestingly, this was a major engineering feat for the Delhi Metro engineers, since traffic on the busy highway and expressway below was not disrupted for even a single day.

Trussles (structural framework composed of interconnected elements), were erected at specific places on the highway, and the expressway, on which beams were put, and then special pre-cast steel span was pulled using machinery called the ‘Winch’.

The span was put on the beam from the Indirapuram side and pulled slowly towards the Noida city site safely crossing the highway and expressway below.

The entire operation was monitored closely by DMRC’s engineers round the clock, and the entire operation was executed by continuously working round-the clock for two consecutive days, 20 July (afternoon) to 22 July (early morning) (Monday afternoon to Wednesday early morning), that too when traffic was continuously moving throughout the day.