Meet Madhavi Latha: Civil Engineer Who Spent 17 Years Building The Iconic Chenab Bridge

Jammu and Kashmir: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, June 6 inaugurated the Chenab Bridge, the World's Highest Railway Bridge, standing 35 m taller than the Eiffel Tower, which is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the 1,315-metre steel architectural spectacle took more than a decade to be designed and built for longevity in an earthquake-prone region with difficult terrain.

While many heads put in the effort together, a significant name is Professor G Madhavi Latha from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, who worked dedicatedly on the project for 17 years. 

Specifically enlisted for the project

Dr. Madhavi Latha, a geotechnical and rock engineering specialist from IISc's civil engineering department, was specifically enlisted by Northern Railways and the project contractor, Afcons Infrastructure, to showcase her magic in the extremely difficult landscape.

The bridge is in a seismically active and geologically complex area that traverses a gorge in the Himalayan region. Steep slopes, assorted rock conditions, and high wind speeds presented challenging blocks.

Dr. Latha was primarily consulted on slope stabilization and bridge foundation design as unforeseen geological conditions were not apparent during the initial surveys.

Her team walked on the "design-as-you-go" path as the terrain was highly unpredictable. Adopting this method was another industrious task as it required innovating in real-time.

Innovation that overcame hurdles

Dr. Madhavi Latha and her team were very well aware that the project was not going to be an easy one. Even reaching the site was an industrious task.

She had first surveyed the site in 2005 after a boat ride along the Chenab and climbing the steep mountain slopes on foot, this was 17 years before the construction was completed in 2022.

The first requirements were around 28,660 tonnes of steel which is comparable to four Eiffel Towers, 66,000 cubic metres of concrete, and 26 km of motorable roads to bring in cranes, equipment, and workers.

When Northern Railway and Afcons Infrastructure began slicing through the slopes, they encountered numerous unexpected hurdles that required them to revise slope stability calculations.

The team found fragmented rocks that were held together by joints and hidden cavities which increased the risks of rockslides, but they were determined to design for “worst-case scenarios.”

To tackle the rockslide situation a process called grouting was introduced. Cement was used in joints within the rocks and steel anchors within the rocks to enhance stability were implanted.

As per reports, Dr. Latha revealed that they had recalculated anchor spacing, lengths, locations, and the amount of steel due to newer issues arising in the process. The construction strategy was revised too.

She added that many times the engineering teams had to adopt design strategies, solutions, and sequences of construction that were not available in any textbooks or construction codes.

After adopting and innovating in real time for over a decade, her century-old dream finally became a reality with the Chenab Bridge's inauguration.

The bridge can last 120 years and handle train speeds up to 100 kmph. It will remain operational at 30 kmph even if one of its eight piers fails an is built to persist in earthquakes which is expected in the Himalayan region.

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