BY NOW, many people know about the commissioning of the cable-stayed bridge over Durgam Cheruvu lake in the City of Pearls, Hyderabad. Constructed by Larsen & Toubro, the bridge is a magnificent piece of high-tech engineering. But there’s more to it, and that should be a matter of pride for India in general and the construction industry in particular!
The bridge has set a world record for having the longest precast segmental single span - from one pier to another - that runs 233.85 metres. That’s nearly quarter of a kilometre – and a construction feat! The bridge is 435 metres long, including the approaches at both ends, and is 25.8-metre wide. The approach viaduct and solid ramps are 309.8 metres long and has 1.8-metre wide footpaths on either side. Keeping the bridge steady are 52 stay cables.
Interestingly, only the cables for the bridge were procured from Germany; everything else was sourced from India. This makes it an excellent example of a ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmannirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
“The unique aspect of this bridge is that it has the world’s longest precast segmental (single) span in concrete for a cable-stayed bridge,” points out Mr S V Desai, Whole Time Director & Sr EVP (Civil Infrastructure) - L&T, beaming with satisfaction that the bridge has been commissioned on time, despite the COVID pandemic.
As much as 428 MT of high-tensile strand, 26,600 cu.m of concrete, 4,800 MT of steel and 287 MT of stay-cables have gone into shaping this construction marvel. Rightfully, the L&T CEO & MD, Mr S N Subrahmanyan, identifies this as nothing less than a pearl. Truly, it is nothing less than a pearl!
“Our association with the young state of Telangana has been rich and we are proud to have delivered yet another pearl to the City of Pearls. We are grateful to the Telangana government for having reposed faith in us once again, enabling us to deliver another world-class infrastructure, and we are happy to have delivered to their complete satisfaction,” he adds.
Infrastructure development is ultimately aimed at improving the lives of citizens, and this new bridge has augmented connectivity within Hyderabad by manifold. Constructed under Telangana’s Strategic Road Development Programme, it has brought down the commute time from Jubilee Hills to Madhapur from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes and has trimmed the distance from Mind Space to Jubilee Hills by two km.
Justifiably, there was much fanfare when the bridge was thrown open to the public on 25 September. Mr K T Rama Rao, Telangana’s minister for municipal administration & urban development industries, IT & C, inaugurated it in the presence of Mr G Kishan Reddy, Union minister of state for home affairs, Dr Bonthu Rammohan, the Mayor of Hyderabad, and L&T’s senior management and project team members.
Durgam Cheruvu, or Raidurgam Cheruvu, is a freshwater lake located in Rangareddy district in the proximity of Hyderabad. The lake is spread over 83 acres and is also known as the Secret Lake because it is hidden between the localities of Jubilee Hills and Madhapur in the City of Pearls.
