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ABOUT THIS STEEL STRUCTURE
* The bridge has 10 spans of 32 metres each consisting of a steel girder system
* The length is 400 mts and the bridge consists of 7.5 mts carriageway and 1.5 m wide footpaths on either side
* The tied steel arch of the bridge has a span of 80 mts and weighs 260 metric tonne
* Self-propelled moving trailers and a barge brought it into position at a height of 12 mts
* Freight Wings Pvt Ltd carried out the work of moving, erection and alignment work on the bridge
* On April 24, eight years since inception of the project, the bridge was finally inaugurated
* The foundation stone was laid in 2007, the actual work of the bridge began on December 21, 2012
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PANAJI: The Cumbarjua-Gaundalim bridge isn't exactly in the same league as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but for Goa and perhaps, even India it has something that could make it famous --- a discernible tilt.
First-time commuters and visitors to the newly-commissioned Rs 43.97 crore bridge have noticed an astounding phenomenon centered on the steel arch of the bridge; a slight tilt in the arch towards left while travelling from Old Goa towards Marcel.
The tied steel arch has a span of 80 mts. It weighs 260 metric tonne and it was moved and lifted into position at a height of 12 mts using a self-propelled moving trailers and a barge.
The moving, erection and alignment work was carried out by Freight Wings Pvt Ltd, a company that had undertaken similar work while constructing the new bridge across River Tungabhadra linking Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in 2012 after the old bridge was washed away in flash floods in 2009.
The GSIDC-appointed project management consultants for the bridge, M/s S N Bhobe and Associates Pvt Ltd have offered an explanation that the tilt is a part of the design.
Confirming this, a highly placed source from GSIDC, said, “The design was created that way to deflect load while overcoming the limitation of elasticity and expansion, which is normally faced by a steel-made structure, especially in temperature and weather conditions of Goa.”
The consultants too have assured that once a rolling load is placed on the bridge, the arch comes into actual position. “It is not going to enhance the stability and not affect the structure of the bridge,” it was affirmed.
Civil engineers who were shown photos of the tilt are however skeptical. "Unless the tilt is shown in the original drawings, it is hard to believe that it is part of the design," said a civil engineer who did not wish to be named.
On April 24, eight years since inception of the project and almost a year after its completion and subsequent rectification of a pier, the bridge was finally inaugurated.
Incidentally, while the foundation stone for the Cumbarjua was laid in 2007, the actual work of the bridge began on December 21, 2012 and was undertaken by contractors S P Singla Constructions, Panchkula, Haryana.
The bridge, which has been constructed over the Cumbarjua creek, has 10 spans of 32 metres each consisting of a steel girder system, which were built at the Kundaim and Sancoale industrial estates respectively.
The total length of the two-lane bridge at Gaundalim is 400 mts and the bridge consists of 7.5 mts carriageway and 1.5 m wide footpaths on either side. The length of the approach roads leading to Gaundalim and Cumbarjua side is about one km.
