Bridge to stabilise sinking Solan National Highway-5 stretch

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 12

In a bid to contain the recurring landslides and stabilise the road, a new 100-m viaduct bridge will be constructed between Dharampur-Kumarhatti on the National Highway-5.

With recurring landslides and a sizeable portion of the road along the valley is sinking, a geological study of the strata was undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which was executing the four-laning work.

It was also found that a water source above the hill led to constant seepage of water and the presence of a sinking zone along the valley aggravated the problem. It was decided to construct a 100-m viaduct bridge to stablise the road.

Containing landslides and sinking surface of the road had become a major challenge for GR Infraprojects, which was four-laning this section of the highway. With a rail line lying along the valley, the lane facing the valley could not be widened by erecting retaining walls.

This was the third such bridge which was being planned on the 39-km stretch on the Parwanoo-Solan NH where one bridge was already under construction near Timber Trail Resort. None of the three bridges had been planned in the initial design to four-lane the Parwnaoo-Solan section. This has pushed up the initial cost of the project by several crores.

Another such bridge was also planned at Saproon in Solan and this too was designed for a 100-m length with 12-m width. Work on the two bridges will begin simultaneously in a few months. Each bridge will cost around Rs 25 crore, said Balwinder Singh, project manager, GR Infraprojects.

“Nearly one year will be required to construct the new bridge near Patta Mor near Kumarhatti and its preparation will begin in two months. The bridge will be 12-m wide and is specially designed to contain recurring landslides and sinking of the road,” said the project manager.

Consists of short spans

• A viaduct bridge consists of a number of short spans. It is built over expressways, highways, etc. where raising retention walls is not possible because of more depth.
• In the absence of this bridge, the company will be required to construct retaining walls measuring 40 to 60 feet high along the valley up to the surface of the highway.