14 Infrastructure Projects in India That Are Nothing Short of Engineering Marvels

[Jamwal's]

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From the environment-friendly Chandigarh airport to the modern Delhi metro, from extraordinary solar projects to stellar freeways and tunnels, here is a list of 14 engineering marvels in India that have set a benchmark for other infrastructure projects to follow.

India has a great heritage in architecture and design. And, since independence, the country has made major advances in engineering too. Be it a tunnel in the treacherous mountains or the amazing metros that connect lakhs of commuters everyday, our talented countrymen have designed and executed some amazing projects that deserve to be recognized and applauded.

Here are 14 amazing infrastructural projects in India that make us super proud.

1. World-Class, Eco-Friendly Airports


Picture Source

Cochin airport created news when it became India’s first airport to run on solar power in August 2015. The airport has photovoltaic (PV) panels laid across 45 acres near the cargo complex. The airport can avail 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day through these panels which is sufficient for all its functions. This has technically made the airport “absolutely power neutral.” The implementation of this 12MWp solar power project cost Rs. 62 crore and took six months to complete. It has been set up by Bosch Ltd., Bangalore, and has a capacity to produce 18 million units of power annually. Read more about it here.

The recently constructed Chandigarh international airport at Mohali is the first airport in the country that is ‘totally green’. Spread over 53,000 sq. m, the airport has used environment-friendly green technologies that makes it one-of-its-kind, not only in India, but also in the world. The airport is constructed in a way that no artificial lights would be required to illuminate it during the daytime. It also has a transparent façade with low heat-gain glass which reduces the need for a large amount of air conditioning. The rooftop of the terminal has a 200KW solar plant which is enough to meet the major power needs of the building. Forty percent of the airport is illuminated with LEDs and the air-conditioning is fired by chiller efficient machines. Here’s more about the airport.

2. Magnificent Metro Projects

Delhi Metro. Picture Source: WillaMissionary/Wikimedia

Starting with the first metro being built in Kolkata in 1984, metros have become lifelines in some of the major cities in India. The Delhi metro started its operations in 2002 and is one of the most disabled-friendly public places in the country, with all stations equipped with ramps, low level control panels in the lifts, and buttons in Braille. With 208 trains serving 140 metro stations, it is the first metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get “carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Named one of the top 100 strategic global infrastructure projects at the Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum held in New York, the Hyderabad Metro Rail project will be the the world’s largest project under public-private partnership. It is also the world’s largest elevated metro and is expected to provide transportation to over 1.7 million commuters by 2017.

3. Neemuch Solar Power Plant, Madhya Pradesh

Neemuch Solar Power Plant, Madhya Pradesh. Picture Source: Rahultalreja11/Wikimedia

Located at Diken in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh (MP), it is Asia’s largest solar power plant. This 151 (DC)-megawatt solar photovoltaic power project by Welspun Energy, India’s largest private solar project developers, is set up on an 800-acre site. The plant will address the power needs of 6.24 lakh homes in MP on completion.

4. Yamuna Expressway

Picture Source: shivvir/Wikimedia

The expressway which connects New Delhi with Agra is India’s longest motorway. This 165 kilometer, six-lane expressway was opened in 2012 and has dramatically reduced the travel time between the two cities; it now takes only a little over two hours to get from Delhi to the Taj Mahal. The project was featured in the list of world’s top 100 innovative infrastructure projects, prepared by KPMG.

5. India’s First Solar Park at Charanka Village in Gujarat


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This group of solar parks constructed in Gujarat makes the state Asia’s largest solar park hub. Spread across 5,000 acres, with a capacity of 500 MW, the park can generate both solar and wind energy. Operational since 2013, it hosts 19 different projects by different developers, including Alex Astral, US-based Sun Edison, Lanco Solar, Roha Dyechem, and GMR .

6. Amazing Airport Terminals

T3 terminal, Delhi. Picture Source: Krokodyl/Wikimedia

The Indira Gandhi International Airport was ranked the world’s best airport in handling 25-40 million passengers per annum category by ACI 2014 and is South Asia’s largest aviation hub. The recently constructed T3 Terminal has added to the glory of IGAI. The terminal has a capacity to host 34 million passengers annually and is the 24th largest building in the world. Not only this, it also has India’s first automated parking management and guidance system in a seven-level car parking area which can accommodate 4,300 cars.

Mumbai’s T2 terminal, with a four-storey building and a capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually, is also nothing short of extraordinary. It also has the country’s largest airport escalator at 11.6 meters. The car parking can accommodate 5,200 cars and the steel used to build the roof of the terminal is enough to construct two Eiffel Towers.



7. GIFT City, Gujarat


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Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) is an under-construction central business district between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar that will be a major financial hub. The Rs. 600,000 crore project will host corporate and regional offices of companies, a trade centre, housing colonies, and a centre for the domestic financial sector. It is expected to create over 10 lakh new jobs in 10 years. Organizations like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and agencies of United Nations are expected to open offices here. GIFT city is designed to be eco-friendly – it will use an energy-efficient district cooling system instead of air-conditioning.

 

[Jamwal's]

8. Ahmedabad and Indore BRTS

Ahmedabad BRTS. Photo courtesy: Enthusiast10/Wikimedia

The Bus Rapid Transit System of Ahmedabad is a planned commuting system with reduced emissions and improved air quality. It is also referred to as a model urban transport system. Started as a pilot project over a distance of 12.5 kms, it now covers 51 kms. Around 22 percent of commuters who used two wheelers earlier have now started using BRTS. The project ran free of cost for the first three months of operation.

Another BRTS service which is worth mentioning is Indore’s BRTS which has been built on the pattern of Ahmedabad BRTS. This project too offered free rides to the commuters in the initial phase. The project has 16 buses that operate on 10 lines. The buses have a frequency of every 15 minutes on every stop. Smart cards are used for fare collection.

9. Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway


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India’s second largest flyover, Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway, is an amazing piece of engineering and design. It connects P D’Mello Road in South Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at Ghatkopar. The 16.8 km long freeway became operational in June 2013 and is believed to support over 25,000 vehicles daily. Commuters can enter the flyover from eight points. Also, the flyover has enabled commuters to enjoy the 20 minutes road journey from CST to Chembur.

10. Banihal-Qazigund tunnel


The tunnel that connects Bichleri Valley of Banihal with Qazigund area of Kashmir Valley is India’s longest railway tunnel. It is also the second longest tunnel in Asia. The tunnel, which became operational in June 2013, is 11 kms long and is located in the Pir Panjal mountain range. The ambitious and difficult project took seven years to complete with the hard work of 150 engineers and 1,300 workers. The USP of the tunnel is the use of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) of construction. The project cost was around Rs. 1,700 crore.

11. Interceptor Sewage System

Work in progress at the interceptor sewage system.

Yamuna river’s sad state is not news. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has come up with a solution to keep the river clean by implementing the Interceptor sewage system on three major drains – Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahadra drains. This Rs. 1,357 crore project diverts the sewage to treatment plants so that the river’s water can be used for other purposes like horticulture and cleaning. The system captures sewage from the 1,600 unauthorized colonies through 600 mm to 2,400 mm wide pipes.

12. Petrochemical Complex at Dahej

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Petro additions Limited’s (OPaL) mega petrochemical complex at Dahej will be used to manufacture polymers along with products like detergent bottles, milk jugs, water pipes, etc. It will also export products to countries like China, Singapore, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan, etc. The construction of the project was started in 2009 and it was expected to be ready by 2013, but was delayed. The officials claim that the plant was mechanically completed by April 2015 and one of the units commissioned in June. Other units of the plant will also be commissioned soon. The entire plant is expected to start operations by end of 2015.

13. Narmada Canal Solar Project


Gujarat’s canal-top solar project covers a 5.5 km section of the Narmada canal with a photovoltaic grid. This 10 MW solar project is one of its kind in the world. Located at Chandrasan village near Mehsana, the plant is designed to generate 1.6 million units of electricity per year along with preventing water from evaporation. The project will eliminate the need of land solar projects and is expected to save two billion litres of water annually. Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited will build the plant and maintain it for 25 years.

14. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus

Photo courtesy: User:SriniG/Wikimedia

Spread over an area of 37 acres, it is the second largest bus station in Asia and is also accredited with the ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for its efficient management and functioning. Opened in 2002, this terminus has the capacity to handle 2,000 buses and 200,000 passengers daily. The bus station has 64 CCTV cameras and a ‘child-friendly’ centre for lost kids. The huge parking lot can accommodate over 2,500 two and four wheelers.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/17137/14-amazing-infrastructure-projects-india/

 

[B+ Dracula]

2. Magnificent Metro Projects

Delhi Metro. Picture Source: WillaMissionary/Wikimedia

Starting with the first metro being built in Kolkata in 1984, metros have become lifelines in some of the major cities in India. The Delhi metro started its operations in 2002 and is one of the most disabled-friendly public places in the country, with all stations equipped with ramps, low level control panels in the lifts, and buttons in Braille. With 208 trains serving 140 metro stations, it is the first metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get “carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Named one of the top 100 strategic global infrastructure projects at the Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum held in New York, the Hyderabad Metro Rail project will be the the world’s largest project under public-private partnership. It is also the world’s largest elevated metro and is expected to provide transportation to over 1.7 million commuters by 2017.

4. Yamuna Expressway

Picture Source: shivvir/Wikimedia

The expressway which connects New Delhi with Agra is India’s longest motorway. This 165 kilometer, six-lane expressway was opened in 2012 and has dramatically reduced the travel time between the two cities; it now takes only a little over two hours to get from Delhi to the Taj Mahal. The project was featured in the list of world’s top 100 innovative infrastructure projects, prepared by KPMG.

8. Ahmedabad and Indore BRTS

Ahmedabad BRTS. Photo courtesy: Enthusiast10/Wikimedia

The Bus Rapid Transit System of Ahmedabad is a planned commuting system with reduced emissions and improved air quality. It is also referred to as a model urban transport system. Started as a pilot project over a distance of 12.5 kms, it now covers 51 kms. Around 22 percent of commuters who used two wheelers earlier have now started using BRTS. The project ran free of cost for the first three months of operation.

Another BRTS service which is worth mentioning is Indore’s BRTS which has been built on the pattern of Ahmedabad BRTS. This project too offered free rides to the commuters in the initial phase. The project has 16 buses that operate on 10 lines. The buses have a frequency of every 15 minutes on every stop. Smart cards are used for fare collection.

9. Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway


Picture Source

India’s second largest flyover, Mumbai’s Eastern Freeway, is an amazing piece of engineering and design. It connects P D’Mello Road in South Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at Ghatkopar. The 16.8 km long freeway became operational in June 2013 and is believed to support over 25,000 vehicles daily. Commuters can enter the flyover from eight points. Also, the flyover has enabled commuters to enjoy the 20 minutes road journey from CST to Chembur.

10. Banihal-Qazigund tunnel


The tunnel that connects Bichleri Valley of Banihal with Qazigund area of Kashmir Valley is India’s longest railway tunnel. It is also the second longest tunnel in Asia. The tunnel, which became operational in June 2013, is 11 kms long and is located in the Pir Panjal mountain range. The ambitious and difficult project took seven years to complete with the hard work of 150 engineers and 1,300 workers. The USP of the tunnel is the use of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) of construction. The project cost was around Rs. 1,700 crore.

11. Interceptor Sewage System

Work in progress at the interceptor sewage system.

Yamuna river’s sad state is not news. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has come up with a solution to keep the river clean by implementing the Interceptor sewage system on three major drains – Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahadra drains. This Rs. 1,357 crore project diverts the sewage to treatment plants so that the river’s water can be used for other purposes like horticulture and cleaning. The system captures sewage from the 1,600 unauthorized colonies through 600 mm to 2,400 mm wide pipes.

I like this news selected above, and Nice Sharing

 

[ssethii]

Maybe marvels wrt south Asia but for the rest of the world it's just too mainstream.

 

[New World]

Apart from Airport terminal, there is nothing new or special in other things..

 

[AndrewJin]

Maybe marvels wrt south Asia but for the rest of the world it's just too mainstream.

I was kind of shocked by reading a short-distance expressway, BRT and 11km-long tunnel listed in the ranking.
Anyway, people need those infra projects!

 

[third eye]

Great steps , we need more.

However , they are not ' marvels' of engineering.

Maybe the railway bridges connecting Srinagar are. Not shown here,

 

[cirr]

Baby steps.

Projects of scale and sophistication that are undertaken by 3rd or 4th tier cities in China.

Still better than nothing.

 

[AndrewJin]

Baby steps.

Projects of scale and sophistication that are undertaken by 3rd or 4th tier cities in China.

Still better than nothing.

Yep, better than nothing. I hope one day we can self drive all the way on controlled-access expressways from any of the top 10 Indian city to another.

 

[Echo_419]

I was kind of shocked by reading a short-distance expressway, BRT and 11km-long tunnel listed in the ranking.
Anyway, people need those infra projects!

We didn't focus on Infra building till the 90s, so it's still a achievement.

Yep, better than nothing. I hope one day we can self drive all the way on controlled-access expressways from any of the top 10 Indian city to another.

That will take time, but it will surely be achieved

 

[Jamwal's]

Baby steps.

Projects of scale and sophistication that are undertaken by 3rd or 4th tier cities in China.

Still better than nothing.

Many of the above are villages, township not 1st or 2nd tier Indian cities.

 

[enquencher]

I stay in chembur and suerly eastern freeway has been boon for me. About the magnitude of projects they are very small compared to china but still very usefull.

 

[Grevion]

Lots of solar power projects in the list.

 

[AndrewJin]

We didn't focus on Infra building till the 90s, so it's still a achievement.



That will take time, but it will surely be achieved

Of course, they are achievements. And it takes time and has to be done step by step.

I have a question, is Indian building an integrated expressway network or a network comprised of both highways and expressways?
By integrated I mean, for example in China or Germany/US, u travel from A to B, though there is no a direct expressway but u can drive from one expressway to another without exiting the expressway system so that no matter where u go, u won't get trapped on any highway or other road. Then the network becomes an independent network from the original highway system.

For example if I wanna visit one of my relatives, I will drive first on national expressway G4, then provincial expressway S76, and S7 and at last G56. (or G42-g50-S7-G56)

 

[Jamwal's]

Great steps , we need more.

However , they are not ' marvels' of engineering.

Maybe the railway bridges connecting Srinagar are. Not shown here,

This is the original title not mine.


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World’s Highest Bridge an ‘Engineering Marvel’

By Justin McGar
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014


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An arch-shaped steel bridge in the Himalayas will be the world’s highest bridge, stretching 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower when construction completes in 2016.

Built over the Chenab River in northern India, the structure’s height will surpass that of the current railway bridge record held by China. That bridge, straddling the Beipanjiang River, is 275 metres in height compared with the expected height of 359 metres Indian engineers are aiming for.

“It is an engineering marvel. We hope to get this bridge ready by December 2016,” a senior Indian Railways official told AFP.

The 1,315-metre long bridge will use up to 25,000 tonnes of steel and is costing the Konkan Railway Corporation, a subsidiary of state-owned Indian Railways, an estimated $92 million.

The structural concept sees a two-ribbed steel arch flanked by concrete approach viaducts on either side. The chords of the trusses are sealed steel boxes, filled with concrete to assist in controlling wind-induced forces on the bridge.

The main arch is being erected using two cable cranes attached on either side of the river which are secured on enormous steel pylons. The cable cranes are the largest in the world.

One of the biggest challenges involved was constructing the bridge without obstructing the flow of the river. Approach roads had to be constructed just to reach the foundations of the bridge.

Continuous construction has enabled the number of bearings to be minimised, particularly on the approach viaduct. This reduces maintenance and inspection requirements and will provide a smoother ride across the bridge.

“The design would ensure that it withstands seismic activities and high wind speeds,” the Indian Railways official added.

Norway-based Force Technology Laboratory conducted several wind tunnel tests to understand the effects of wind speed, static force coefficients and gust buffeting. The bridge has been designed to resist wind speeds of up to 260 kilometres per hour.

The bridge will be made largely of steel, as the material is more economical and is able to resist temperatures of -20 Celsius as well as potentially high wind speeds. The Jammu and Kashmir region witnesses frequent terrorist attacks. To enhance safety and security, the bridge will be made of 63 millimetre-thick special blast-proof steel. The concrete pillars of the bridge are also designed to withstand explosions.

The massive steel arch is the first of its kind in India. The country has no codes or design guidance for such massive structures. The Indian Railway Standards (IRS) is primarily intended for simply supported bridges with spans up to 100 metres (although these have been successfully used for higher spans up to 154 metres). The engineering team is therefore drawing on experiences from similar projects around the world and following design best practices.

The deck of the bridge is partly straight and partly curved. It is located on a transition curve with changing radius. Construction is therefore being carried out in stages following the gradual change in the alignment. This is the first time a bridge is being constructed incrementally on a transition curve.

Credit: Daily Mail

Work on the bridge started in 2002 but safety and feasibility concerns, including the area’s strong winds, saw the project halted in 2008 before being green-lit again two years later.

The bridge will connect Baramulla to Jammu in the Himalayan state with a travel time of six-and-a-half hours, almost half the time it currently takes.

Design and construction of the bridge was awarded to a joint venture of Afcons Infrastructure, Ultra Construction & Engineering Company of South Korea and VSL India in 2004.

When completed in 2016, it is expected to have a lifespan of 120 years.