THANE: A 100-metre-long steel bridge weighing 1,405 metric tonnes was installed in Thane district on Monday as part of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, officials said, in what the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) described as the first steel bridge erected in Maharashtra for the corridor.
Major lift over NH-3 at Dive-Anjur
The structure was launched over National Highway-3 at Dive-Anjur village in the Bhiwandi area during scheduled night traffic blocks, the NHSRCL said in a release. Fabricated at a specialised workshop in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, the bridge was transported by heavy trailers over a distance of around 1,300 km to the Thane site, officials added.
The installed unit is described as a 14-metre-high and as-wide steel assembly that was assembled on site before being pulled into its final position by an automated system. NHSRCL said the complex operation was planned to ensure structural safety while limiting disruption to commuters on the highway.
Project context and features
The installation brings to 16 the number of steel bridges completed out of 28 planned along the entire Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, NHSRCL said. The corridor is India’s first dedicated high-speed line, planned to cover 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and intended to sharply reduce travel time between the two cities.
The Trichy-fabricated bridge incorporates protective painting and elastomeric bearings designed to enhance durability and control vibrations, the release said. Officials noted the work exemplifies indigenous engineering and material capability under the Make in India initiative.
- Bridge length: 100 metres
- Weight: 1,405 metric tonnes
- Transport distance: ~1,300 km from Trichy to Thane
- Steel bridges completed on corridor: 16 of 28
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Structure length | 100 metres |
| Weight | 1,405 tonnes |
| Fabrication site | Trichy, Tamil Nadu |
| Installation site | Dive-Anjur village, Bhiwandi (Thane) |
| Bridges completed on corridor | 16/28 |
"The complex launch operation was carefully executed to ensure structural safety while minimising disruption to highway commuters," NHSRCL said in the release.
Local implications
For residents of Bhiwandi and neighbouring suburbs, the bridge launch meant planned night closures on a busy national highway. NHSRCL emphasised the use of scheduled night traffic blocks so that daytime commuting faced minimal interruption. Local traffic police and district authorities typically coordinate such operations to manage detours and maintain safety for both workers and motorists.
Beyond traffic management, the installation highlights the continuing pace of construction activity around Thane related to the high-speed rail project. Contractors and support teams from multiple states are engaged in fabrication, heavy transport and on-site assembly work. The use of large trailers and heavy-lift equipment for long-distance movement of prefabricated elements has become a recurring feature of works along the corridor.
Officials said the bridge’s protective paint system and elastomeric bearings will help in long-term maintenance and vibration control, technical details that are intended to extend the structure’s service life on a high-speed corridor where dynamic loads are significant.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor remains one of the most closely watched infrastructure projects in western India. With this latest installation in Thane, NHSRCL said it continues to advance the schedule for steel-bridge works while showcasing domestic fabrication capacity. The corporation did not provide an updated overall timeline for corridor completion in the release.
Local citizens and commuters in Thane are likely to see further heavy equipment movements and night-time work as more prefabricated units are transported and installed along the alignment in coming months, NHSRCL indicated.
