Construction Milestone: Work On Tallest Pillar For Chennai Metro's Phase II Started At Kathipara

The construction of the tallest pillar for Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II network has commenced at Kathipara Junction, undertaken by Larsen and Toubro despite challenging conditions.

This pillar is a part of corridor 5, spanning 44.6 km from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur, passing through various key points such as Retteri, Koyambedu, Thirumangalam, Porur, Butt Road, Alandur, St Thomas Mount, Medavakkam, and Perumbakkam.

T Archunan, director (projects) at CMRL, highlighted the challenges of constructing the phase II viaduct amidst heavy traffic and two metro rail corridors from phase I running above.

The engineering method of ‘Balanced Cantilever’ has been adopted to address these challenges, allowing for construction at a considerable height and with limited space.

Krishna Prabhakar K, project manager of L&T, explained that this method includes incremental launching using form travellers to maintain balance and safety during construction.

The construction at Kathipara Junction also includes a special design for the sharpest curve between Butt Road and Alandur.

With pillars exceeding 30 metres in height, precautions are taken to prevent any debris or concrete from falling and ensure public safety.

The foundation of the tallest pillar, located at Paul Wells Road, is also substantial with a diameter of 1.5 metres and 12 piles, designed to withstand heavy loads.

Progress along this stretch is proceeding well, and authorities aim to complete the work in a few years.