Page 59 - Trafficinfratech Magazine Aug - Sept
P. 59
INFRASTRUCTURE
Safety measures Afcons is now constructing India’s 67 days while the budgeted time
deepest Metro station at Howrah. At for tunnelling the 2.9km stretch
Another key factor in this project was 30m below surface level, once ready, was 127 days.
safety. Special efforts were undertaken the multi-level Howrah Metro station
to ensure there was no loss of life will cover the area of over five lakh • At 30m below surface level, once
or property during tunnelling. The square feet. The diaphragm wall for the ready, the multi-level Howrah
project team painstakingly obtained station, which at 1.5m, is the thickest Metro station will cover the area
all the necessary CRS approvals after to have ever been built in India. The of over five lakh square feet.
satisfactory closure of all requirements. depth of the D-wall is 46m, which is the • Afcons designed a ‘soft eye’ of
While this was a tough task, it helped deepest in the country so far. Recently, styrofoam replacing M-40 concrete,
the team gain several insights into the base slab of the Howrah Metro which worked extremely well for
project management. Station was constructed, marking a this project.
Adequate traffic diversions, timely major milestone in the project. At • At 30m deep, it is almost equivalent
evacuations and restricted pedestrian 30m deep, it is almost equivalent to a to a 10-storey building, below the
movements were undertaken. More 10-storey building, below the historic historic Howrah Railway Station.
than five teams were deployed to Howrah Railway Station. The Metro The Metro station runs so deep
carry out extensive repairs in all critical station runs so deep because it is because it is aligned with the
buildings along the TBM alignment. aligned with the underwater Metro underwater Metro tunnels. The
More than 300 people were relocated tunnels. The tunnels are almost 26m tunnels are almost 26m below the
in alternate accommodations during below the Hooghly riverbed. Hooghly riverbed.
the operations and then safely brought
to their homes setting new and humane Salient Features
standards in project management. • The twin tunnels were built in just Photo credit: ‘Afcons Photos’
www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com August-September ’19 / TrafficInfraTech 59
