To make travelling easier for all Indians throughout the country, the government has aided more developments on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A new viaduct bridge is set to complete construction on the expressway, decreasing the travel time between Khopoli and Sinhgad. ‘The Missing Link’ Project is close to completion and about to make commuting a lot faster.
The challenging 13 kilometres long project is set to be completed by December 2023 or early 2024. The construction was carried on at a height of 100 metres above Tiger Valley in the Lonavla-Khandala region. In a testament to the progress of the ambitious project, the viaduct bridge is set to undergo its first load testing on the expressway right this month.
Despite this monsoon’s harsh weather conditions, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) stayed firm on its grounds, and the engineers completed the project’s progress. Staying firm on cable-stayed bridges at scary heights in rains that constantly frequented the construction, the project’s engineers have pulled off something special.
Details of the Project
The Pune-bound road used to run 19 km long between the Khopoli exit and the Sihgad Institute. The ‘Missing Link’ project aims to join these channels and minimise the distance by over 5.7 km. This channel also ran through several steep slopes and ghats, necessitating a certain speed limit. The ‘Missing Link’ will help forego these restrictions and remove the worry of traffic or falling boulders in the monsoons. The project has been undertaken at a cost cap of over INR 6,600 crores and will feature a viaduct bridge and two tunnels.
Some Specifications of the Project:
- The project features a viaduct bridge and two tunnels.
- The bridge will be 840-metre-long and will bypass the expressway at a height of 60 metres.
- It will then enter a 1.75-km-long tunnel over the 640-metre-long cable-stayed bridge at a vertical height of 100 feet.
- Continuing into an 8.9 km-long tunnel.
- A part of this tunnel will be 170 feet below the ground level, with the Lonavla Lake coursing above it.
- Finally, exiting near the Sinhgad Institute.
A mandatory process for major bridge constructions or aviation projects like aircraft testing, a bridge prototype was also tested at the Force Institute in Denmark before the project went under construction. Engineers claim the cable-stayed bridge must withstand wind pressures up to 70 metres per second or 252 kmph. This ensures the bridge’s durability against calamities like cyclones that have seen the light of day in recent years.
The Fascinating Cable-stayed Bridge and the Underground Tunnel
A fascinating feature of the project is the cable-stayed bridge. Rajesh Patil, the chief engineer on the project, explains that a cable-stayed bridge has been the best cost-effective option. He says,
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“The bridge goes over the Sahyadri Valley, and if we had planned a traditional bridge, the number of pylons and piers would have been four times more. That could have been troublesome, especially in the valley, because every pier has to be 100 metres high. However, as it’s a cable-stayed bridge, only four pylons and eight piers are required. In a traditional bridge, the number of pylons and piers would have been four times that number, posing engineering challenges, taking longer to complete the project, requiring more resources and money.” |
The underground tunnel that will lay under the river will be Asia’s widest road tunnel sprawling a width of 23.75 metres, and will consist of an 8-lane along with two emergency lanes (2.5-metre-wide) on either side. The crew plans on working only on the cable-stayed bridge by September this year. And the complete construction is expected to be completed by December 2023 or early January 2024.
Progress Report
The following monsoon is the second monsoon that the project has witnessed. Last monsoon, the foundation work was underway, and the project has progressed towards pylon construction.
- The Pune-bound corridor viaduct is almost complete, and the Mumbai-bound viaduct will soon begin.
- The excavation work for the tunnels is almost completed spanning over 10.5 km, and further work like surfacing and plumbing is underway.
- Vehicles carrying a forum and other heavy loads will be tested over the corridor to check the span load on the viaduct.
- The MSRDC aims to complete the work on one pylon by August-end this year and begin work on the deck slab supporting traffic.
- The span-load test is expected to be done in July on the corridor, with the viaduct being 70% complete.
The MSRDC has conducted much research to study the bridge collapse over River Ganga in Bhagalpur and has adopted measures to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.
Offering multiple benefits for commuters between two prominent cities like Mumbai and Pune, the project is expected to be very beneficial. The ‘Missing Project’ will shorten the Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 20-25 minutes, decreasing its length by 6 km. Travellers can zoom at 120kmph and reach their destinations quicker, safer and faster.
