Moolchand Metro bridge to be complete in 10 months

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is constructing a signature Metro bridge at the Moolchand crossing, which will be completed in 10 months’ time.

The bridge, designed with the help of a French company, Systra, will be at a height of 12 metres above the road at the Moolchand crossing.

However, the DMRC has taken special measures to ensure that the traffic movement below the bridge does not get disrupted during the construction.

Fifteen per cent of the construction of the bridge has already been completed and trial runs over the bridge are expected to start in April 2010, as this section is scheduled for opening in September 2010.

This is the first extradosed bridge of the Metro, which is being constructed on the ring road and will be parallel to the existing flyover of Moolchand and is a part of the 20.16 km long Central Secretariat-Badarpur corridor.

The DMRC adopted the extradosed technique according to which the 167.5 metres long bridge will have three large spans with the central span being 65.5 metres and other two spans being 51 metres each.

The bridge has only two pillars (piers) located on the side of the ring road to avoid hindrance to the existing traffic flow, the DMRC said in a statement.

The segments of the bridge are being precast in the casting yard and are being brought to the site, where they will be put up at night so that the traffic movement below is not disrupted.

To give a better aesthetic look to the bridge, the supporting cables will be encased in painted tubular pipes. About 15 MT (metric tonnes) of 15.7 mm galvanized, greased and polyethylene coated stands will be used in the bridge.

The cables, which will be resting on top of the pylons, are being fabricated in Hong Kong and China.