2 more viaduct bridges coming up on Parwanoo-Solan highway

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 2

Two more viaduct bridges are being constructed on the Parwanoo-Solan section of the National Highway-5 (NH), the four-laning of which was completed in June 2021. One such bridge has already been constructed on the 39-km stretch of the Parwanoo-Solan road.

All three bridges were not conceived in the detailed project report (DPR) prepared for this section earlier. Since these sites comprise of sinking zones, where retaining walls can’t withstand the repeated slides, it was decided to opt for these structures to provide stability.

Rs 25 cr project

• A 100-m bridge with three spans will be built at Patta Mor between Dharampur and Kumarhatti
• Another 80-m bridge with two spans, as per the preliminary design, will be built near Saproon in Solan city
• An estimated cost of Rs 25 crore will be incurred on the two bridges

One bridge is being built near Patta Mor between Dharampur and Kumarhatti and the other one near Saproon in Solan city.

“The need to construct two viaducts was felt as the land at the said sites is sinking, owing to which the retaining walls failed to sustain. Since the load-bearing capacity of the sites is less, the option of viaduct bridges has been mooted as the retaining walls erected there had developed cracks,” said Ram Asra Khural, Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is executing the project.

The presence of a railway line below the road at Patta Mor further acted as a handicap in constructing the retaining walls. A year’s time has been granted to the contractors executing the work, of which three months have already elapsed.

The first viaduct, built at a cost of Rs 16 crore, was thrown open to the public near Parwanoo in February. The 160-m-long bridge stands on a single pier and was launched using push technology. The two new bridges are smaller than the first one and the officials hoped these would be completed within the stipulated time.

Meanwhile, the movement of vehicular traffic at Patta Mor was hit after the retaining walls erected earlier sunk and the double-lane on the valley side had to be closed for traffic. The problem was more pronounced during the rain when the seepage of water aggravated the problem.

The four-laning work on this 39-km stretch began in September 2015. With several modifications in the earlier design, its work was completed in June 2021.

What’s a viaduct

A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated road.