It seems like a tall order. But Delhi will soon be able to walk tall. Its ambition for a tower twice in height to that of the tallest brick minaret, the Qutub Minar, will soon be met.
Two large asymmetrical blocks used in the construction of the central pylon of the under-construction Signature Bridge have reached Delhi. Covering a journey of 16,000 km, two-and-a-half months after being shipped to Kandla Harbour in Gujarat, the massive blocks were carried to Delhi on two trailers with 178 and 162 wheels. The behemoths have now reached the city overcoming various transportation challenges.
Planned along the lines of Shanghai and California, the Signature Bridge is being constructed by Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) at Wazirabad. The Bridge will be suspended with the help of cables from a tower 154 m high, which will be twice the height of the historical Qutub Minar.
The central pylon is being constructed by a Shanghai-based company and the asymmetrical blocks of the pylon were brought to Gujarat via sea and transported to Delhi by road from Kandla Harbour. The total weight of the tower is 7,000 tonnes. Two huge blocks for construction of this pylon reached Gujarat in the first week of July. According to officials, transportation of these colossal blocks, weighing in at 1,300 tonnes, was a near Sisyphean task.
The gargantuan blocks have been stationed at Wazirabad construction site for the impending Bridge and all efforts are on to unload them from trailers. According to DTTDC officials, a special crane, which can withstand 1,200 tonnes of weight, has been ordered to unload these gigantic blocks.
The two blocks will be used to support the central pylon and will appear like its legs. “Special trailers employed to transport these blocks were fitted with hydraulics, so that they do not cause damage to the road infrastructure or collapse under the weight of the blocks. The blocks weigh 400 tonnes apiece and will be erected across the river Yamuna,” said a senior official.
According to DTTDC officials, with the trailers carrying huge weight and their width being 7 m, they were not allowed to ply in several States. The States where they could ply, the trailers had to ply during the day with a pilot vehicle leading from the front. The trailers covered an arduous journey of over 16,000 km.