Chennai Metro Line 4’s Open Web Girder Launched over Bypass

Hindustan Construction Company – KEC International JV (HCC – KEC JV) in October completed launching a 40 meter long open web girder (OWG) bridge for 26.09 km Chennai Metro Line-4 which will connect Light House – Poonamallee Bypass through 30 stations.

This steel bridge for 116.1 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project’s 7.945 km Package C4-ECV-02 (Porur – Poonamallee Bypass) was manufactured by Steel Infra Solution in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh where trial assembly was completed in March 2023.

The bridge weighs 222MT and was launched in 2 slices or parts weighing 110 MT and 112 MT using a single lifting method on top of Chennai Bypass (NH-32)’s flyovers between Piers P277 to P278 on Mount Poonamallee Road (view on Google Maps).

The bridge will support Line-4’s down-line. A twin bridge to be launched in the future will support the up-line.

Here are 2 cool videos on YouTube which shows both splices being launched. I’d recommend setting the playback speed to 2X.

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) had awarded Package C4-ECV-02’s Rs 1,147 crore contract to HCC – KEC JV in May 2021 with a 36 month deadline.

Besides constructing the viaduct from chainage 17982.240 to chainage 25928.186 and Poonamallee depot-line, HCC – KEC JV will build 9 stations at Chennai bypass crossing, Ramachandra Hospital, Iyyapanthangal Bus Depot, Katupakkam, Kumanan Chavadi, Karayan Chavadi, Mullai Thottam, Poonamallee Bus Terminus, Poonamallee Bypass.

Their package also includes launching 11 special steel spans, the exact locations of which I’m unaware of.

This OWG has become Chennai’s second such metro bridge after the 105m long steel truss bridge at Guindy launched by Larsen & Toubro in 2015.

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– TMRG