Delhi floods: Construction of fifth metro bridge over Yamuna halted

Work on construction of a new 560-metre-long bridge, the first-ever metro bridge over the Yamuna to be built using cantilever construction technique, has been halted due to the rising water level of the river, a senior official said on Friday.

Delhi Metro at present has four bridges across the Yamuna, and in view of the rising water level of the river, trains are crossing these bridges with a restricted speed of 30 kmph as a precautionary measure, officials said on Thursday.

The four bridges are at Yamuna Bank (698.8 m on Blue Line), Nizamuddin (602.8 m on Pink Line), Kalindi Kunj (574 m on Magenta Line), and Shastri Park (553 m on Red Line).

The swollen river has crossed the danger mark, breaching the all-time record of 1978, flooding low-lying areas near the banks.

Although the Yamuna water level remained stable for three hours on Thursday, it started rising again to reach 208.66 by 7 pm, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

"About 50 per cent of construction work on this new bridge has been completed," a senior DMRC official said.

Waters from the raging Yamuna river have inundated several parts of Delhi, throwing normal life out of gear and prompting authorities on Thursday to close all schools and colleges till July 16 and ban the entry of heavy goods vehicles engaged in non-essential services.

A senior DMRC official, when asked if the work on construction of the fifth metro bridge over the Yamuna has been halted, said, "Yes, it has been", adding the work was halted about three days ago sir to rising water level of the Yamuna.

The DMRC had commenced preliminary work on the construction of the fifth metro bridge over the river Yamuna here as part of its Phase-IV work on the Majlis Park-Maujpur corridor in 2020.

The new bridge will come up between two existing bridges on the Yamuna i.e. Wazirabad Bridge and the Signature Bridge.

The bridge, with eight spans and nine piers, will connect Soorghat metro station and Sonia Vihar metro station of the Pink Line.

"This will be the first-ever metro bridge over Yamuna to be built using the cantilever construction method. A cantilever is a rigid structural element which extends horizontally and is supported at only one end," the DMRC has said.

Typically, it extends from a flat, vertical surface such as a wall or a pier, to which it must be firmly attached. Cantilever construction allows overhanging structures without additional support. Employment of this technology will make the bridge look aesthetically better, it said.

The design of the bridge was finalised using the 'Building Information Modelling' (BIM) technology. With the help of this technology, a 3D model of the bridge was uploaded with intricate details of the proposed structure.

This new bridge will cross river Yamuna at about 385 m downstream of old Wazirabad Bridge and 213 m upstream of the existing Signature Bridge, the DMRC said.

Various eco-friendly measures will be taken during its construction. All the construction activities are being carried out with minimum effect on the floodplains, officials have said.

Restoration of the floodplain that may be impacted by the construction of bridge alignment or pillars in it will be undertaken, the DMRC had said.

The muck and debris generated would be disposed of scientifically and no dumping shall be allowed on the floodplains, it said.