Rourkela:The world’s highest bridge — Chenab in Jammu & Kashmir– would be build with steel from Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). About 579 tonnes of plates manufactured in RSP would be used for the construction of the bridge.
The 1.315 km long Chenab bridge, part of the 325 km long rain link project connecting New Delhi- Srinagar, is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12,000 crore. With a height of 359 meters from the river bed, higher than Eiffel Tower in Paris, it would be highest bridge in the world. The consultants to this project are Finland based WSP Group and Germany based Leonhardt Andre and Partners. The bridge is designed to withstand Zone V earthquakes.
A RSP spokesperson said that the plant has already supplied 579 tonnes of plates for the Chenab bridge. Plates meeting stringent physical, chemical and mechanical properties are required for the project, the spokesperson added.
The consultant firm inspected the New Plate Mill and audited the entire process in September 2017 before placing the first order in December 2017 for 579 tonnes of E250 C plates. These plates were rolled in the Mill in January 2018 and thereafter the final inspection was done by representatives from four agencies concerned. The first consignment was flagged off on 29th January 2018 and the despatch of the entire lot was completed in the month of February 2018.
In 2016, the Central Marketing Organisation (CMO) team of SAIL along with the RSP officials offered M/s Konkan Railway (Principal contractor) and Northern Railway (Project owner) to use “Normalised Rolled Plates through TMCP (Thermo mechanical controlled process) from New Plate Mill of RSP which would meet their stringent requirements pertaining to Impact value (minimum of 54 Joules at minus 20 degree Centigrade).
