A mind-bending feat
Afconians erect two 85MT steel box girders with radius curvature of 50m each at Tirupati Smart City project
Infrastructure construction is replete with stories of bravado and excellence. Engineers and workmen, much like superheroes, display supreme skills to pull off stunning feats that transform ambitious engineering drawings into realities.
Afcons’ most-recent achievement took place in the temple city of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. One of the 100 Indian cities to be developed into a smart city under the Government of India’s Smart City Mission, Tirupati is witnessing much-needed transformation with Afcons as catalyst.
Garuda Varadhi Flyover, the 6.8-km elevated corridor, is the most ambitious part of the Tirupati Smart City project which aims to ease traffic in the city, and facilitate entry & exit. Construction of this flyover involves erection of steel box girders, two of which has sharp radius curvature of 50m each. If this seems challenging enough - the 85MT box girder spans have to be placed at a height of 71.5ft from ground at the Leela Mahal Junction, undoubtedly one of the city’s busiest locations.
“This highly-critical activity was meticulously planned as we had just one shot at getting it right. The toughest part was the placement of two (second and third) steel box girder spans for the second-level flyover,” says project manager S Rengasamy. Since the radius of the curvature is 50m, the least of all stretches in the project, it required extreme accuracy in lifting and erection scheme. Two mobile cranes of 275T and 400T were deployed to carry out the activity with minute precision.
“Safety and convenience of residents and commuters is always a priority. Therefore, we spread this activity over two eight-hour night shifts on August 4 and 6. In just eight hours, one 85MT span had to be placed 71.5 ft from the ground. Everyone in the team had the strongest faith that we will pull this off smoothly,” recounts Rengasamy.
On the night of August 4, just as the box girder span was put in its designated place, the team broke into a joyous hurrah. They were just one more step away from completing one of the most critical part of the project. “While we had tasted success just two nights back, we could not be complacent. My team proved to be just as accurate during the placement of the next span. This is the first time ever in Tirupati that such an activity was conducted,” Rengasamy said.
Acknowledging this as an ‘engineering miracle’, Municipal Commissioner PS Girisha presented Afcons team with an appreciation certificate.
“The team has set an example by making steady progress in the project during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the completion of substructure activities (piles, pile caps, piers and pier caps), we are carrying out superstructure works at a significant pace. A new-look Tirupati is in the offing and Afcons is proud to be part of its infrastructural makeover,” concludes Rengasamy.
