Meerut : NCRTC is constructing two Special Steel Spans in Modi Nagar under the construction of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. One of these steel spans is being built on a drain crossing NH-34 at Kadarabad, a short distance from Modi Nagar North RRTS station in the direction of Meerut. This drain is 50 metres wide and to cross it a 54 meters wide special steel span weighing about 450 tonnes will be installed on this drain.
For the installation of this span, two portal piers (pillars) and one special pillar each are being built on either side of the drain. Special pillars are stronger and thicker than regular pillars. Their foundation is also built with 8 piles as compared to 4-6 piles of common pillars. The foundation work for the construction of the portal piers has been completed and the construction of special pillars is in the final stage. Moreover, the length of the span in the RRTS viaduct is usually 34 meters, but the steel span to be installed here is 54 meters long. Groundwork is going on at pace to install this steel span soon. On this span, the RRTS train will cross the drain at a height of about 14 meters from the ground.
On the other hand, the second special span is being built on the siphon (Bamba) of the Irrigation Department passing near Modi Nagar tehsil. The width of this siphon is about 10 meters. To cross this section, a 50 meters long special steel span of about 400 tons will be installed here by making a portal pier on either side of the siphon. The construction of these portal piers is going on in full swing. On this span, the RRTS train will cross the siphon at a height of about 14 meters from the ground level.
For the construction of an elevated viaduct of the RRTS corridor, NCRTC usually erects pillars at an average distance of 34 meters. These pillars are joined by pre-cast segments with the help of a launching gantry (tarini) to form the RRTS viaduct span. However, in some complex areas where the corridor crosses rivers, bridges, rail crossings, metro corridors, expressways or other such existing structures, it is not practically possible to maintain this distance between pillars. Special steel spans are being used to connect the pillars in such areas.
These specialized steel spans are massive structures consisting of beams made of structural steel. Segments of structural steel are first manufactured in the factory and then brought to the site. To avoid any traffic problems, these parts are loaded on trailers and transported to the site during the night and the span is constructed on the site by systematically interconnecting them with the help of a special process. The size and structure of these steel spans are specially designed to suit all the requirements of construction, installation and use.
To date, 5 special steel spans have been installed for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, one 73-meter-long special span at Vasundhara on the main railway line, one 150-meter-long steel span near Ghaziabad station, two 45-meter-long steel spans at Duhai for the RRTS Viaduct leading to the depot and a 73-meter long span has been installed to cross the EPE.
