In Ranchi, the capital city of the Indian state of Jharkhand, a four-lane flyover is being constructed to handle the high volume of heavy traffic to the rail station and prevent congestion. In future, the flyover will also cross existing railway lines and waterways.

What makes this project “unique” is its execution as a cable-stayed bridge structure, according to Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH. The company’s local subsidiary, Bauer Engineering India Pvt Ltd, was tasked with the installation of the required piles by M/s Larsen & Toubro Transportation Infrastructure. Work started in October 2022.

During the first phase of the project, Bauer installed a total of 50 piles with a diameter of 2,000 mm. “The largest monopiles ever installed in India by Bauer Engineering India Private Limited,” said Ankush Mehra, project manager of Bauer India. “The highlight of this project and an absolute sensation for us.”

In the second phase, 100 piles with a diameter of 1,200 mm were installed. All piles are installed with 4 m of hard rock socketing, and total pile lengths range from 15 to 22 m. While a Bauer BG 40 is being used for the 2,000 mm diameter piles, the 1,200 mm diameter piles are being drilled using a BG 28 and BG 26, among others.

A major challenge during this project was posed by the logistics: there is a high volume of traffic all around the construction site, and the piles are located right in the middle of the road. Roadblocks extended out up to 9 m and significantly restricted the movement of the drilling rigs and cranes. Extreme caution was required from the very beginning due to the ambient conditions. “Good planning and organisation are essential in these conditions,” said Mr Mehra.

The works are expected to be completed by the end of April 2023. Mr Mehra concluded, “We are well on track and as such expect to finalise the project on schedule.”

All images: Bauer Group