Indian Roads Thread

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Jarita
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Jarita »

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 522381.cms

Gujarat: Don’t widen road inside Gir sanctuary, say experts

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... aign=cppst
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

Gadkari reviews construction work of all-weather Zojila, Z-Morh tunnels on Srinagar-Leh highway.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday reviewed the construction work of strategically important Zojila and Z-Morh tunnels on the Srinagar-Leh highway.

Speaking to reporters at the Z-Morh tunnel site, Gadkari said his ministry is also building 20 tunnels of a total length of 32 km in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 tunnels of a total length of 20 km in Ladakh. The cost of building these 31 tunnels in Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will be around Rs 1.4 lakh crore, the road transport and highways minister said.

The Union minister for road transport and highways also said all the projects undertaken by the BJP-led central government should be completed before the 2024 general elections.

He said there will be no compromise on the quality of the construction.

Gadkari also said that in the past two years, the Modi government has been able to do the same amount of work related to road projects in Jammu and Kashmir that earlier took 50 years.

The Z-Morh tunnel between Gagangir and Sonmarg will provide connectivity in all weather conditions between Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and Kargil in Ladakh. The Zojila tunnel between Baltal and Minamarg on the Srinagar-Leh section will provide all-year connectivity between Leh and Srinagar.

“I have told them (executing agency) to complete the work on Zojila tunnel by December 2023 so that Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) inaugurates it before January 26 (2024). The deadline of 2023 is also because we have the (Lok Sabha) polls in 2024,” Gadkari told reporters at a press conference at the tunnel site here. Gadkari said all the work should be done before 2024 polls, “otherwise people will take us to task”.

The minister said he was happy with the pace and quality of the work on both the projects and congratulated the executing agencies – APCO for the Z-Morh tunnel and MEIL for the Zojila tunnel.

He said after the completion of the Z-Morh tunnel, the local tourism economy will get a boost. Gadkari noted that tourism is the sector where 49 per cent of capital expenditure happens on the employment generation.

About the Zojila tunnel, he said it will not only be the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia but also the world’s highest tunnel at the height of 11,575 feet above the ground.

Saying that there was no such word as impossible in his dictionary, Gadkari said he was sure the fresh deadline would be met on the treacherous landscape.

The Union minister said after the completion of both the tunnel projects, the travel on Srinagar-Leh and Manali-Leh highways would be a lot easier. “This will be a heaven.This highway is a lifeline for the people (here) and these tunnels will ease their sufferings. The aim is to increase the economic growth, employment potential and promote handloom and handicrafts,” he said. The travel time on these routes will be substantially reduced after the completion of the projects, he added.

The travel time on Zojila pass is 3.5 hours currently but through the tunnel, the journey can be completed within 15 minutes, he said.

“Not only for the people here, the tunnels will also bring ease for the pilgrims of the annual Amarnath Yatra here,” he said. He also said the ministry will study whether a second tube can be added to the project and was also seeing how to further ease the journey to the Holy Cave of Amaranth.

Asked whether the speed of construction work of the Z-Morh tunnel increased after Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh became Union territories, Gadkari said, “These issues are for you to evaluate (ye sab baaten apke adhyan aur chintan ke liye hai).”

The project cost of the Z-Morh tunnel is Rs 2,300 crore. The 6.5-km-long Z-Morh tunnel project is under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). For the Z-Morh tunnel, there is a five-km approach road and the tunnel is 6.5-km long and is bi-directional. It also has an escape tunnel for emergencies.

Gadkari also said he has directed the officials of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to take a beautification project on the Srinagar-Leh and Srinagar-Jammu highways.

Gadkari also said the ministry was studying a proposal to construct a rope-way from Sonamarg to Thajwas glacier and seven lakes to increase the tourism potential in the area.

On a question about the construction works on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway which remains cut off due to landslides every now and then, Gadkari said there have been some problems, but those are being taken care of.

“The consultant on that has failed and we are taking action. More funds have been allotted and we have changed the designs, and the work on it will be completed in the next two years,” he added.

He assured that the after two years, the travel time between Srinagar and Jammu will be about three hours.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

They have hit water inside the Zojila tunnel. Same issues plagued the Atal tunnel. Lets hope they find a quick and sound solution to be on schedule.


https://mobile.twitter.com/Sahilinfra2/ ... 2745001988
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

Till now the contracting company Megha Engineering and NHDCIL officials were confident of finishing the Zojila tunnel by 2024 based on the good speed of tunneling achieved due to the dry rock section but if the water seepage is encountered in more sections then this will considerably slow down the tunneling speed and it would be difficult to maintain even the original 2026 timeline. In similar conditions Atal Tunnel took nearly 10 years to complete instead of the planned six years.

One difference now is with increasing experience of Indian companies in constructing tunnels in challenging conditions in J&K and more heavy equipment like ice cutters being sourced from abroad, operations are being carried out even in the winter months (this happened at the Zojila site last year) when earlier it would completely stop for at least 4-6 months.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

https://mobile.twitter.com/Sahilinfra2/ ... 1229571076

Z-Morh tunnel. Lining works to start from Eastern portal of main tunnel as breakthrough was achieved in main tunnel last month. They are trying to finish lining the escape tunnel by November so that emergency vehicles can use it when Sonamarg is snowbound and the existing road is snowed in due to the high pass it traverses.

Sela tunnel on the road to Tawang is the next project I expect a breakthrough. The escape tunnel of 980m had a breakthrough in July ahead of schedule. This will facilitate work on the 1555m main tunnel, as both ends can now be worked on and material moved for the approach roads at both ends. The adjoining Nechipu tunnel 500m+ should be close to breakthrough. New target is May 2022, delayed due to Covid. Both tunnels are strategic due to Tawang pass snowbound and also fog on the current road even in summer months.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Tunnels under the Brahmaputra to connect upper Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh

https://mobile.twitter.com/cbdhage/stat ... 8174538753
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by nachiket »

vsunder wrote:Tunnels under the Brahmaputra to connect upper Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh

https://mobile.twitter.com/cbdhage/stat ... 8174538753
vsunder ji, has any reason been specified why a tunnel is preferred to a bridge at this location? I am assuming constructing a bridge would be cheaper and faster.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

Cheaper maybe but faster to build is surely doubtful especially if TBM's are used to build the tunnel.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vayutuvan »

nachiket wrote:vsunder ji, has any reason been specified why a tunnel is preferred to a bridge at this location? I am assuming constructing a bridge would be cheaper and faster.
My guess is that bridges can be bombed by the enemy to disrupt logistics during a war.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

I can make some educated guesses.

1. In the opening moments of any war with China, Bogibeel bridge will be a big fat target to be taken down and disrupt movement of men and materiel. They will do it by missiles.

2. A tunnel is better protection against attack.

3. 140km separate the tunnel from the Bogibeel bridge and the tunnel north ban mouth opens up near Tezpur, HQ of IV Corps, Gajraj. So the tunnel is well situated. Geotechnical properties could have also gone into the choice of location.

4. As the tweet says, Kaziranga is nearby and the bridge and approach to it could involve far more stringent environmenatl requirements than a tunnel whose approach could early on go underground.

5. The Brahmaputra has serious floods and changes course and a tunnel is better able to deal with such calamities. Yes Assam has had earthquakes.

6. With the increasing stress on using rivers for navigation and Brahmaputra being already declared IW-2, Inland Waterway Route 2, and barges already operational, bridges pose additional issues and hazards for navigation esp. if there are shoals and the river has a point of constriction where the bridge is being built. Ideally one would like to build a bridge between two points across a river that are close among other factors. A tunnel frees the traffic on the river from such hazards.

However I think ecological clearances can be obtained faster for a tunnel than for a bridge and also making a tunnel will not depend on the season. Construction of bridges comes to a virtual halt during the very strong monsoons in Assam.

Contrary to the Nature conservation thread which is full of rhetoric and ill-informed noise, the current dispensation is paying attention to studies on the movement of wild life both across roads and across railway tracks. Significant measures have been taken at several places to mitigate animals dying. Here are two such reports:


https://www.thebetterindia.com/190973/i ... or-tigers/


https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2021/ ... 2.amp.html


The design of optimal habitats for animals to live in mathematically is similar to designing single crystal blades for the Kaveri engine. There are foundational papers of mine from 30 years ago on the mathematical material science aspect. I was goaded to study this by Japanese engineers. In a subsequent long and difficult paper there is a complete characterization of all the crystal defects that can arise. This is a 2-phase free boundary problem, the solid phase and the liquid/molten metal the second phase. As the metal cools you have no control of the interface and that is the free boundary. Defects form and they are not arbitrary
For example a cross is one possibility in 2 dimensions. Then you have molten/solid/molten/solid around the cross and the arms of the cross meet at 90 degrees. This is rigorous theorem in my paper. It is not some easy stuff and pretty hard to prove.
Same with animals, there is animal zone and the human zone. The boundary between the two is the free boundary. As the animals increase by births, the boundary changes. Two French mathematicians one at Univ. of Toulose where Airbus is and one at Univ. of Marseille then used my work and wrote some papers on animal habitats and optimal design. They have a number of computer simulations of the changing boundary as the animal population increases. You can start with a disk or a square and then put 5 animals in and ask how should I design the optimal habitat for those 5 animals to live in that disk or square. What happens to the boundary of their range as the number of animals goes up to 10 etc.

I do not think they studied the problem fully as to what is the nature of the defects like in the difficult paper of mine. That is still open I think. I do not work on these questions since 14 years now and I do not intend to return to this study possibly after retirement if I feel like it. All papers I talk about are freely available on the internet.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vayutuvan »

vsunder wrote:IContrary to the Nature conservation thread which is full of rhetoric and ill-informed noise, ...

:mrgreen: :rotfl:
I don't visit that thread often but now you have piqued my curiosity. :twisted:
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vayutuvan »

vsunder wrote:The design of optimal habitats for animals to live in mathematically is similar to designing single crystal blades for the Kaveri engine. There are foundational papers of mine from 30 years ago on the mathematical material science aspect.
Have you done any work in percolation theory? I am interested in percolation theory and numerical continuation problems in countably infinite dimensions. There are no closed-form solutions even for a convex polytope, leave alone other kinds of domains - not even restricted to convex domains. My interest is purely computational. If you are interested, I will take it to the math thread.

Continuum Percolation Theory in a convex domain in the Euclidean space ℝ^n
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by VinodTK »

India's strategic Sela tunnel near China border: All you need to know
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday presided over the final breakthrough blast of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh through a video conference.
The tunnel, located near China border, is expected to give India strategic heft by facilitating faster movement of its troops.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by nachiket »

vsunder wrote:I can make some educated guesses.
...
Thank you for that explanation saar. Makes a lot more sense now.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Currently 9 bridges are being built across the Ganga to better connect North Bihar with South Bihar. Some are in UP. These projects had languished for 25-30 years with foundation stones laid by assorted PMs. Bridges constructed by Gammon in IGs time that failed due to heavy overloading have also been repaired, bearings changed etc. In North Bihar a famous bridge over River Kosi had been destroyed by the Great Bihar earthquake of 1934 and after that never rebuilt, all sorts of PMs since Chacha Nehru made promises and election promises to rebuild, nothing happened. Last year the residents of North Bihar got their spanking new Kosi bridge and train services restored after 1934.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_Nepa ... earthquake

None of this finds space in the national media etc. which is mainly devoted to outrage on all sides.

Some of the bridges are :

1. Ghazipur road and rail bridge in UP, will replace the Shaheed Abdul Hamid PVC bridge which is a pure road bridge and in bad shape due to overloading. Unfortunately bridge work slowed down as Manoj Sinha lost his bid for re-election to Lok Sabha in 2019 and is now J&K governor. But completion is soon maybe one span left:(the train part will provide a relief to busy Mughalsarai/DDU)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2odOwlEvtDQ


2. Munger Bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAzrr88Ct-k

3. Bakhtiyarpur bridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0pyE1bVpps

4. Kacchi Dargah to Bidupur bridge(cable stayed 6 lane)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNQDKAQOt_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7u0xxzaW4I

5. Gandhi Setu, part of Patna ring road(in English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RObnav1Zmc

6. Kosi mega bridge After 90 years traffic opens.

https://www.railway-technology.com/news ... dge-bihar/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DD8gq3ByEU


A summary of all the bridge over the Ganga projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDZij8KmEEw

PS: By the way I mentioned 2-phase free boundary problem above, so obviously there must be a 1-phase free boundary problem. So what is that, should one study it, yes, yes and yes. 1-phase free boundary problem is one side something like water, other side vacuum. For example think of the propeller of a submarine or ship. The tips of it rotate at supersonic speed. This causes little bubbles to form of vacuum which of course pop. Two bad consequences are (1) Causes pitting of the propeller blades leading to replacement (2) Too many pops and it leads to a noisy sub and easy detection. This phenomenon is called cavitation. So propellers are designed for subs and ships to minimize cavitation. Mathematical knowledge of the free boundary effects is used in the design to minimize Cavitation.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

vsunderji,
There is a Youtuber who covers the infra development's in Bihar.
His coverage on the Bridges coming up in Bihar:

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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Cyrano »

Jarita wrote:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 522381.cms

Gujarat: Don’t widen road inside Gir sanctuary, say experts

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... aign=cppst
Having been fortunate enough to visit Gir reserve and seen these magnificent lions and leopards, jackals, various deer, birds and more some years ago, I can say preserving such treasures is more important than ANY development benefits. Cant bring back an extinct species or ecosystem.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

So it has happened, see above ^^^. I had expected a breakthrough next month. Shri Rajnath Singh RM, has initiated the final breakthrough of the Sela tunnel yesterday. This is a very important project that ensures all weather connectivity to Tawang. This a twin tunnel project. The smaller Nechipu tunnel at 475m is scheduled for completion in May 2022. The longer tunnel is 1555m on which breakthrough was achieved. The 980m escape tunnel in parallel to the 1555m main tunnel had a breakthrough in July this year.

https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status ... 6436896768


https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 015341.cms

3 tunnels in all, with two of them bored through. Smaller one left.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs9WnCnW07E
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Looks like for the smaller Nechipu tunnel about 475m BRO made good progress for the 100-200 m section. 41 days. For the first 100m 73 days. So about 275 m left and completion time is May 2022. May be tight as they have to line the tunnel. But breakthrough in 3 months is very likely. Road to Tawang is in good shape and about time as things heated up there recently.


https://mobile.twitter.com/broindia/sta ... 0740798464
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Zojila tunnel approach road is cut and cover tunnel


https://mobile.twitter.com/Sahilinfra2/ ... 4201677832
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppMcQquUIAk

Fadnavis had the cavities made by excavating earth needed for the construction converted to water bodies that prove useful in parched Marathwada.

Part of the highway about 502 km, Nagpur to Shirdi was to open in Dec 2021. Remaining 200km to Thane by Dec 2022. Highway is called Samruddhi Marg. Contribution of the UT govt is to rename it after his goonda father after Fadnavis did all the work. There is considerable tunneling near Kasara and Igatpuri in the ghats. Travel time to Nagpur from Mumbai will be 8 hours on the expressway.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

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Bridge over Narmada at Bharuch on the Mumbai--Delhi Expressway. 3-4 months left for all spans to be launched on this cable stayed bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcbke--sAMw

WDFC bridge runs parallel to this bridge. WDFC bridge has to be of special type not open web girder to accommodate double stacked container freight to JNPT. You can see the WDFC bridge at 8:40 in the video above and at several other points in the video. They are still sinking pier foundations it seems for the WDFC bridge.

A video of the WDFC bridge on Narmada made by the same videographer as above with a commentary. Note the spans which are not open web girder but underslung to allow double stacked container traffic on the WDFC


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD1nbX3CH1Q
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

^^^ The third 100m of the Nechiphu tunnel on the all weather road to Tawang was excavated in 31 days. Its a D shaped tunnel and 175 m are left to breakthrough. Part of the aggressive Chinese posture in the Tawang sector is linked to the pace and completion of this all weather road to Tawang. Troop buildup does hamper tunneling operations and logistics and supply of raw material. The window of opportunity is fast closing for shenanigans here and I view this buildup by the Chinese mainly of nuisance value. In about 12-15 months when the tunnels are ready, deployment of artillery pieces and manpower will not be hampered much by weather conditions on the Sela pass. The third 100m is the fastest from 73 days for the first and 41 days for the second 100m. Tunnel lining operations on the 1555m main tunnel that was through this month are to commence soon.
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A month ago IAF landed a C-130J with Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and CDS Bipin Rawat on a 3km stretch of 4-laned highway 925 near Ganda Sattav near Barmer. This was followed by landings of SU-30MKI and AN-32 in the same area. Barmer is close to Air Force Station Uttarlai first made operational close to the 1971 war and which acted as a forward base for Mig-21s and Marut HF-24s for the course of the war. IAF has tested the Yamuna expressway for landing Mirages and also the new Purvanchal Expressway in UP has an emergency landing strip near Sultanpur capable of receiving fighter jets and transport a/c.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syC2g8oDHz0


https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ ... 375604.ece

Highway 754 nearby is the under construction Bharatmala Pariyojana from Amritsar to Jamnagar. It is 4/6 laned access controlled with a few parts in Gujarat that is 4-laned. 1250km in length the construction has been divided into 30 packages of roughly equal length with 24 packages tendered out and construction in fairly advanced stages in some packages. It connects the refineries at Bhatinda, Barmer and Jamnagar with super thermal plants at Sri Ganganagar and possibly will also have emergency landing facilities for IAF aircraft and provision for aircraft dispersal in case it is needed in a conflict with the western bandit. Construction is to end on Highway 754 by March 2023.
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Post by Vips »

Emergency landing strips are also planned on the upcoming Delhi-Katra and Delhi-Dehradun expressways.
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Post by Vips »

Pilgrims will soon be going to Kailash-Mansarovar by car.

Union ministerPilgrims will soon be able to visit Kailash-Mansarovar by car as Rs 60 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre to upgrade the border road from Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh into a metalled one, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said. Making the announcement at the concluding ceremony of a religious festival at the high-altitude Gunji village in Pithoragarh district on Sunday, Bhatt said the metalled road will not only help defence personnel reach border outposts quickly but also help tourists reach the unique place.

Gunji is a border village located on the way to Kailash-Mansarovar at a height of 10,000 ft in Vyas Valley of the Dharchula subdivision in Pithoragarh.

"In the coming days, this area will emerge as the most favoured border tourism destination," he said. "The road network at the Indo-China border will also help locals settle in their villages to run homestay and other tourism-related businesses," the Union minister added.

The minister also praised the Border Roads Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for laying road network in difficult terrains. "The BRO has constructed a border road at Om Lingla located at a height of 19,300 ft in Ladakh," he said.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by VinodTK »



BRO Accelerates Construction Work Of Sela Tunnel, Project Likely To Get Completed By Aug 2022
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

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Today is an important day. Shri Modi has inaugurated the 341km long Purvanchal Expressway connecting Ghazipur and even up to the Bihar/UP border to the state capital Lucknow. Easy access is now provided to a backward part of a so-called backward state. Azamgarh, Ghazipur etc. will have good connectivity to Lucknow and through the Lucknow expressway to Delhi. Connecting links to Gorakhpur and in Bihar are being built, to connect places like Chappra etc. Varanasi also has better connectivity. The expressway was launched with Shri Modi arriving via an IAF aircraft a C-130 that landed on a stretch of the Purvanchal expressway at Sultanpur which adjoins the infamous Amethi erstwhile constituency of Mr. Gaundy. The Sultanpur airstrip is a 3200m strip meant for IAF use. Later Rafales, and other aircraft did landings and take-offs from the expressway.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/p ... 2021-11-16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0kNQzNv70E


Another event of note is that 4 days Yogi Adityananth, launched trials of Kanpur metro, one of the fastest constructed Metros anywhere, trial started 1.5 years after breaking ground. This brings back some very strong memories for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iOoszWyR3M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErM9ANl00L8

Next up for inauguration is Bundelkhand Expressway from Chitrakoot dham, Mahoba, Jhansi and so on and which will join the Lucknow--Delhi expressway at Etawah. There are bridges over the Betwa, Yamuna etc. In 2015 I took a flight from Prayagraj to Delhi. The pilot was an Angrez, but navigation on that cloudless day in early winter was so easy, pick up the Yamuna and follow it to Delhi and there she was dark as always. The Betwa could also be seen as well as the many tributaries of the Yamuna like the Chambal etc. The Chambal is famous for its gharial a crocodile species and of course the badlands akin to the badlands of South Dakota, deep ravines, the home of Pan Singh Tomar and Daku Man Singh and Phoolan Devi.

The Aligarh--Kanpur---Jhansi---Chitrakoot Defence Corridor lies next to the Bundelkhand Expressway with ancillary companies making defence related equipment, optical, electronics to ammo and clothing.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Twin tubes of the smaller 475m tunnel at Zojila had breakthrough. First one on Diwali day and second one two days ago. The main tunnel is 13.3 km and scheduled for completion in 2026. Lining work on Z morh escape tunnel is complete.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehan ... ase-716462

Next breakthrough of twin tunnel 2 km long at Zojila expected in April 2022. Also expecting breakthrough of 475m Nechiphu tunnel by end December and end of tunneling/boring operations on the road to Tawang. Lining work and construction of proper approach roads left to finish construction of all weather road to Tawang that bypasses Sela pass.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

This is the polystyrene slabs put on the base in the approach road to the Zojila tunnel. The polystyrene locks out the water from melting snow and thus prevents degradation of the base and improves the life of the road surface. I suppose the road surface is porous and water will seep into the base. MEIL(Megha Engineering based in Hyderabad) are the primary contractors. 4 bridges are also part of the project.

https://ms-my.facebook.com/meilteam.in/ ... 329148417/

Tunnel lining work is going on in the main Z-Morh tunnel. The escape tunnel is lined. For the first time Sonamarg is joined to Srinagar throughout the year and so is Kargil to Srinagar, now that the Z-Morh tunnel is done.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by nachiket »

vsunder wrote: Tunnel lining work is going on in the main Z-Morh tunnel. The escape tunnel is lined. For the first time Sonamarg is joined to Srinagar throughout the year and so is Kargil to Srinagar, now that the Z-Morh tunnel is done.
I understand about Sonmarg to Srinagar but the Sonmarg-Kargil stretch won't be open year round until the Zojila Tunnel is done right?
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Yes you are correct. Zoji La is in Dras a bit before Kargil from Srinagar. I should have said Z Morh will shorten the travel time to Kargil and Leh and travel time and all weather connectivity and all year round connectivity to Leh and Kargil from Srinagar will further improve once the Zoji La tunnel is complete.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by vsunder »

Nechiphu tunnel, the last tunnel left for breakthrough on the road to Tawang has about 75m left for breakthrough. That was 2 weeks ago. Breakthrough is imminent for sure in December. Tunnels are scheduled for completion by May 2022, that is lining of tunnel walls, drains along the sides and systems work like ventilation inside the tunnel. By late next year the all weather all year connectivity to Tawang is done once the approach roads are paved. Hot asphalt needs a certain ambient temperature to be laid, for if it cools too fast in cold weather it cannot be compacted properly. Ideally you need no wind and ambient temp above 50F to lay hot asphalt. They may use polystyrene to construct a barrier to prevent moisture reaching the sub base and degrading the asphalt which will see heavy Army trucks on it. Tunneling was being done at the average rate of 3m per day. After blasting there is downtime to allow noxious gases to be ventilated out, muck removal and stabilize what has been excavated so as to move forward. In addition machinery can breakdown and drill bits possibly replaced to drill for placement of explosive charges in the tunnel face.

One could add additives to delay the onset of hardening of the asphalt but May June would appear as the best time to pave the roads and ensure good compactification of the road bed at that altitude. From the batching plant asphalt usually leaves at 280-300 F. It will instantly start cooling say by an equation governed by Newton’s law of cooling or some totally trivial differential equation. Key point is that the rate of cooling depends on the ambient temperature by this Newton chap. In any case if the asphalt arrives at the site where it is going to be poured at 190F, it is useless. This Newton gives the time you have, the window from the batching plant to the place where you pour.

Newton's law of cooling an empirical law states:

dT/dt= -k (T-A), where T is the temperature of the paan masala or asphalt at time t, specifically T(t),t is time, A is the ambient temperature, and k is a rate constant which is a material property of the paan masala, asphalt, how much of the truck surface is exposed etc etc. k>0, that is it is a positive constant.

The negative sign makes dT/dt negative and thus T decreases with time, elementary Calculus ---i.e cooling. It makes no difference if you use Celsius or absolute thermodynamic scale, T-A is the same number in both scales obviously. Solving this ode is trivial as any kid can see by separation of variables and the solution gives the temperature value at any time t starting with an initial condition/temperature at which the asphalt or paan masala was loaded onto the truck at the batching plant. Thus the bigger T-A the faster the rate of cooling. So if the ambient temperature is way below the asphalt temperature, the bigger T-A and the larger dT/dt that is faster the rate of cooling. This is something that can be seen obviously from the differential equation.

It is also important that the sub base is at a reasonable temperature. Now the temps at Tawang dip below freezing at night. So the sub base will be below freezing early morning. If you pour early morning, the asphalt will cool quickly and compactification will be impossible. So another reason to wait and take a temp measurement of the temp of the base before pouring. Thus the window for pouring becomes smaller till late Spring arrives.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

NHAI invites bids for preparing DPR for constructing 30 KM long Dehradun-Tehri tunnel.
State-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited bids for preparation of a feasibility-cum-detailed project report for construction of a 30-km long tunnel between Dehradun and Tehri. NHAI said the tunnel would be among the longest highway tunnels in the world.

"NHAI has invited bid for preparation of Feasibility report cum DPR for Construction of a tunnel between Dehradun & Tehri.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by VinodTK »

SC cites national security, allows Char Dham project
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed widening of major portions of the strategic Char Dham road project in Uttarakhand to enable speedy deployment of men, machinery and armament by the armed forces on the India-China borders, given the recent Chinese build-up, but struck a delicate balance on green concerns by ordering strict implementation of environment protection measures.
Except for the road leading from Rishikesh to Yamunotri, which the ministry of defence (MoD) had not sought permission to widen, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath gave MoD and ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) permission for double lane paved shoulder (DLPS) highways linking Rishikesh to Mana (beyond Badrinath), Rishikesh to Gangotri and Tanakpur to Pithoragarh. This will provide an additional two-metre width to strategic roads for easy and rapid transportation of men and defence equipment.
In doing so, the bench modified the court’s September 8, 2020 order, passed by a bench headed by Justice RF Nariman, declining permission to widen the strategic roads as per the requirement of the armed forces. While the SC’s 2020 order was based on MoRTH notification of 2018, Tuesday’s judgment allowed double-lane carriageway with paved shoulders as provided in the 2020 MoRTH circular. The extra width is typically marked at the sides of the carriageways.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by chetak »

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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by yensoy »

^^^^ DMK government came to power in May. According to the spokesperson, some action started happening from July. It appears that this was a long-standing issue that existed from AIADMK government time. Without a clear timeline mentioned, I think the piece above is more political than substantive.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Vips »

MEIL completes five-km-long tunnelling work at Zojila.

Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited(MEIL), has achieved a milestone of completing works of a 5-km-long tunnelling work, as part of the 18-km-long all-weather Zojila Tunnels in a record time of 15 months.

The project of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), being executed by MEIL, is envisaged to ensure connectivity between Srinagar and Ladakh throughout the year without any interruptions.

The Zojilla Tunnels-Nilgrar 1, 2 and Zojila main tunnel– are being expeditiously executed, despite harsh weather conditions such as snowfall, and blizzards at a high altitude of 3,528 meters above mean sea level (AMSL).

Zojila project, Asia’s longest bidirectional tunnel, is a challenging development project even for strategic reasons. Harpal Singh, project head, Zojila Tunnel, said, “Our MEIL team have executed this project in toughest conditions with dedication and hardwork.”

The current winter witnessed the highest-ever snowfall in the history of Jammu and Kashmir with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius (minus 30 degrees). The project consists of three tunnels, four bridges, snow protection structures, culverts, catch dam, deflector dam, and cut & cover tunnel.

MEIL was awarded the project on October 1, 2020, connecting Kashmir Valley to Ladakh. The total length of the project is 32 kilometres and is divided into two parts. The Part I of the project’s 18-km stretech connects Sonamarg with Taltal, having major bridges and twin tunnels. Tunnel T1 has two tubes planned in it.

MEIL began the project work in the month of May 2021, after the construction of access roads. Works at Zojila Main Tunnel, which is 13.3-km-long, are also in full swing.

The company has achieved 600 metres advance from Ladakh, and 300 metres advance from Kashmir’s side. Completion of the project (September 2026) is on track and on schedule.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by jaysimha »

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1796961

Atal Tunnel certified by World Book of Records, as the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10000ft, today in New Delhi. Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, DGBR received the award for the stupendous achievement of BRO India connecting Manali to Lahaul-Spiti Valley

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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Cyrano »

Phenomenal achievement that stands tall on its own. What is the need for this videshi validation?
We need to get over this colonial hangover from "Guinness" Book.
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