The designs of four tunnels and bridges which form part of the ambitious Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project are expected to be completed by the end of August. The senior vice president and managing director (Asia) of Louis Berger, Kshitish Nadgauda, said this in an interaction with The Pioneer.
The global professional services corporation catering to infrastructure and development clients- Louis Berger was awarded contract for the project of detailed design and project management for construction of four tunnels, four bridges and formation works for 14.26 kilometres as part of a Geodata-led consortium for the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).
According to Nadgauda, “By the middle or end or August we should be done with our designs. Tendering for some packages has already started. We know that the client wants us to have people on the ground in readiness for contractors being appointed by the first week of October so we have also started sourcing and reaching out to candidates for deployment. We know that the client is keen to stick to the timeline. The only uncertainty is that related to Covid.”
Regarding the engineering challenges in this project he stated that the biggest challenge which has been overcome was the seismic design of the bridges. Responding to concerns regarding potential environmental damage due to tunnelling for the project, he pointed out that actually tunnelling is the better option. “Tunneling- design and construction techniques are adapted to suit specific geology. Rarely is there a carbon copy and paste situation.
Alignment without a tunnel would be more damaging because then the mountain would have to be cut as deep as 40-50 metres and then stabilised.”Nadgauda further said that there is some scope for incorporating native aesthetics by using motifs local to Uttarakhand on parapets of the bridges-as Louis Berger has done in many places wherever there is client support.
Nice patterns can be made on parapets and piers- columns which support bridges, depending on the situation. Such work is generally done on a bridge over a roadway where people can see though in this project, most bridges are across deep valleys.
Stating that the company would consider the option of using material recognisable as local, he stressed that there should be greater endeavour for local architectural design and local materials.Referring to the strategic importance of the project considering the Indo-Tibet border, Nadgauda said, “Earlier we looked at the project as one that would facilitate movement of people and goods but now in light of what has happened such infrastructure has become all the more important.
Further, this rail project has every potential to boost the local economy and attract people as such developments have achieved in many places including in India.”
Apart from the ongoing rail project, Louis Berger is also eyeing mass transit projects in Uttarakhand as it has considerable experience in metro rail. “We are working on three lines in Mumbai apart from such projects in Bhopal, Indore and Hyderabad.
We are looking to bring that experience to Uttarakhand in a more challenging environment than we have been in,” he said.
