BMRCL launches first U-girder on Outer Ring Road

The Namma Metro's first U-girder was installed at Doddanekundi on Outer Ring Road (ORR) early on Sunday morning. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), along with contractor Shankaranarayana Constructions (SNC), began work on erecting the U-girder near Bagmane World Technology Centre in Doddanekundi on ORR. The first U-girder was established on top of pillars between 473 and 474 at about 4 am. The U-girder was transported on a 43 m long trailer to the pier area from Lowry Junction close to KR Puram at 2.25 am. Traffic police had barricaded the road area to enable the work. Each U-girder is 4.6 m wide, 28 m long, and weighs 165 metric tonnes (mt). It is lifted and installed with two hydraulic cranes, one with a capacity of 700 mt and another with 400 mt. This is the first time U-girders are being utilised in Bengaluru to speed up the metro construction work. BMRCL decided to employ U-girders for building the viaduct on Silk Board-KR Puram (19.5 km) on Outer Ring Road and KR Puram-Kempegowda International Airport (36 km) areas. The U-girders will be used for nearly 80% of the corridor's length in the ORR-KIA route. The U-girders will involve casting the whole span of a viaduct between two piers in a single piece, whereas box-girders will have many parts between two piers. One U-girder between two pillars can be erected overnight, against 5-6 days needed in case of box girders. Experts said U-girders would also save time as well as lower construction expenses. The much longer U-girders drastically decrease construction time. However, due to their length, they need absolute precision during construction. Also, their length makes ferrying them from the casting yard to the location a difficult task. Image Source Also read: RITES submits DPR for Namma Metro's phase 3 corridors to BMRCL