A Limited Height Subway (LHS) was installed in eight hours by the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway (E Co R), in lieu of Butchirajupalem gate in between Gopalapatnam-Visakhapatnam stations. A traffic block of 8 hours on both up and down lines was done simultaneously to facilitate insertion of segmental boxes by ‘cut and cover’ method.
The work was accomplished using minimum number of workers and using heavy machinery like hydraulic-operated telescopic cranes of one 400 tonne capacity crane and two 350 tonne capacity crane along with two 360 tonne excavators and four 200 tonne excavators, in view of the social distancing norms due to COVID-19.
Cut and cover method
Simultaneous excavation and placing of segmental boxes and pre-cast wing wall segments was done to save time. With the adoption of ‘cut and cover’ method, the task could be completed in a less time as it would have taken 14 hours under normal method and will save expenditure.
The work was successfully completed a few minutes ahead of the block schedule. Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanarayana, former MLA Malla Vijaya Prasad visited the site on Tuesday and inspected the work.
Visakhapatnam West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu expressed happiness at the completion of the subway, which was a long-pending demand of the people living in Old Gopalapatnam, on the other side of the track, for whom this subway provides access.
Waltair Division has constructed LHSs at 11 places in two weeks.
The other works carried out include two additional Road Under Bridges at Vizianagagram towards Nellimarla end, one limited height subway in lieu of Mangalapalem between Kothavalasa-Pendurthi stations, rebuilding of bridges done between Kantakaplli – Kothalvasa stations, one LHS near Electric Loco Shed in Waltair Marshalling Yard, one LHS at Marripalem, one more LHS constructed at 104 area gate to ensure safety of pedestrians and passengers, according to G. Suneel Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager.
