Pune’s elevated roads to use Malaysian tech, will need fewer pillars: Nitin Gadkari

New construction technology

Gadkari directed officials to adopt a new construction technology for elevated corridors. Until now, Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms allowed a maximum span of 30 metres between pillars supporting elevated roads.

Citing a technology developed in Malaysia – Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC), Gadkari said the gap between pillars can now be extended to 120 metres, eliminating the need for an additional three pillars across a section and cutting project costs. He noted that this technology, which uses steel fibre-reinforced beams instead of conventional steel, has already been used at 40 points on a bridge in Nagpur.

Gadkari also flagged recurring complaints about expansion joints and rubber bearings beneath bridges, citing cracks found in the recently inaugurated 36-km Delhi-Dehradun elevated road.

He said, “The companies responsible for supplying faulty rubber bearings on that project have been blacklisted, and instructed officials to ensure high-quality bearings are used in the new Pune corridors.” He added that the projects have been designed by L&T technical expert Venkatram, at his request, which he said would ensure superior construction quality.

The three corridors

Recalling the planning process, Gadkari said he had earlier requested the Maharashtra government to waive 9 per cent GST on cement and steel used in these projects, besides seeking royalty-free sand, stone and aggregate, along with support in land acquisition. He said the proposal was cleared by the state cabinet under then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Gadkari specifically credited Ajit Pawar for his role in facilitating the projects and expressed sorrow that Pawar could not be present at Saturday’s inauguration.

The three projects, to be executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), will cover some of the most congested stretches, including Pune-Shirur, Hadapsar-Yavat, and Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur. Work on all three began on Saturday.

Looking ahead, Gadkari said the Detailed Project Report for a Rs 15,000-crore Shirur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar corridor is currently underway and will also be built by MSRDC.

Once complete, the corridor would cut travel time between Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to about two hours, with a further two-and-a-half hours needed to reach Nagpur from Sambhajinagar.

Ravet-Narhe elevated corridor

A Rs 6,000-crore elevated road is planned for the 32-km Ravet-Narhe stretch, with its DPR nearly ready. Gadkari said the Khambatki Ghat tunnel is likely to be inaugurated within the next two months.

He also announced a new Rs 10,000-crore expressway aimed at cutting Mumbai-Bengaluru travel time to five hours, which would bypass the congested Panvel and Navi Mumbai stretches currently used by Pune-Mumbai commuters.