Chenab Bridge – IISc professor who spent 17 years guiding the project

New Delhi: For 17 years an Indian Institute of Science professor played a key role in guiding the construction of the world’s tallest Chenab Bridge – an engineering marvel that will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country by train.

G Madhavi Latha, a specialist in rock engineering from the department of civil engineering at IISc was roped in by the Northern Railways and project contractor Afcons to advise them on slope stabilisation and bridge foundation in order to ensure the Rs 1,486 bridge crore withstand very harsh natural conditions for more than a century.

Towering 359 metres above the riverbed, the Chenab rail bridge linking two hills between Katra and Qazigund stands as the world’s highest railway arch bridge, rising 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.

“IISc was the consultant for slope stabilisation and foundation whereas foreign firms were involved in making the steel arch. Planning of the bridge started in 2005, and it was completed in 2022 when trial runs with full speed trains were carried out,” Madhavi Latha told DH.

Spanning 1,315 metres, the steel arch structure is a key part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link and marks a significant milestone in Indian engineering.

The IISc engineer followed “design as you go approach” because the data generated on rock types, spacing and orientation in the initial investigation was found inadequate when engineers excavated the rocks.

One of the primary challenges was the construction of arch abutments and foundations for piers on the slopes because of the concerns on stability since there was a great degree of discontinuity among the rocks and the slopes were very steep.

The solution worked out by Latha along with other project engineers was to carry out cement grouting with pieces of rocks and steel rods for reinforcement.

The foundations were made large and deep to withstand the heavy wind forces caused by the winds blowing at a speed of 220 kmph. Also it was coming up in a high seismic zone, adding more challenges to the engineers.

The construction of these foundations necessitated deep excavations into the rock mass, uncovering geological conditions which are entirely different from the geology mapped on the slope surfaces.

“We made design modifications to account for such factors. For instance the foundations were shifted slightly from where they were to be in the original plans. In situations like this, we can’t go with a rigid design,” she said.

In the initial years, Latha had another IISc scientist as project consultant, but he left after a few years following which she carried out the work till 2022 when the bridge was ready.

The Bengaluru engineer now looks forward to a day when she can visit Kashmir with her family in a train crossing the same bridge that she helped construct.