The Art of Elevation: Lifting Barfiwala Flyover

The misalignment of the Barfiwala connector with the Gokhale Bridge gained national attention. Barfiwala Bridge, constructed in 2008, has a Y-shaped design with two-lane north and south arms connecting the old Gokhale Bridge. However, the newly constructed Gokhale Bridge at the same site was built at a higher elevation to comply with railway guidelines. Following the conversion of the railway from AC to DC, new guidelines mandated increased bridge heights for safety. As a result, all recently built railway bridges are at a greater height, causing a misalignment between Gokhale Bridge and Barfiwala Bridge. This has created a 1.5-meter gap between the two structures, making it difficult for traffic to transition seamlessly. The issue has led to major traffic disruptions and criticism of the authorities for not addressing the alignment properly during construction. Destroying and rebuilding the bridge would cost over 100 crores, which is not a viable option.

IIT Mumbai and VJTI proposed lifting the deck slab of Barfiwala Bridge to properly align it. SCON Infra Prestress LLP (Thane), specializing in vertical lifting and horizontal shifting of massive structures, was recommended by IIT Mumbai and VJTI to MCGM for this complex task. To streamline the process, MCGM assigned the project to SMC, which then entrusted SCON Infra Prestress LLP with the specialized task of lifting the deck slab. MCGM officials contacted SCON’s Managing Directors Bhujbalrao and Vaibhav Parab to resolve the issue of the disputed north arm of Barfiwala Bridge.

Challenges

Correcting the misalignment requires intricate engineering solutions to seamlessly connect the two structures without disrupting traffic. Destroying and rebuilding the bridge would cost over 100 crores, which is not a viable option. Lifting the Barfiwala connector bridge arm was the only available solution. However, this task was not easy, as the weight of the deck slab was measured in tons. Failure to lift such a massive structure could cause severe damage to both the structure and surrounding infrastructure, risking lives and equipment. It could also lead to significant financial losses, legal issues, and prolonged project delays. Lifting such a heavy structure requires complex technology and highly trained, skilled experts and professionals.

Solution

SCON Infra Prestress LLP's expertise in bridge rehabilitation ensured the structural integrity during alignment modifications. Bhujbalrao, Vaibhav Parab and their team of expert engineers, led by Chief Foreman Jagdish Surve, proposed the solution of cutting the deck slab. The 80-meter deck slab, from Span 8 to Span 11, was divided into three parts. Span 11 was elevated by 1.4 meters using hydraulic jacks, Span 10 was elevated by 0.6 meters, and Span 9 was adjusted by 100 mm to align with the height differences. To achieve this, SCON Infra Prestress LLP utilized specialized techniques, including bi-directional hydraulic jacking, to raise specific spans of the Gokhale Bridge to match the level of the Barfiwala Flyover. Additionally, SCON Infra Prestress LLP designed and installed extra bridge components, such as connecting girders and specially designed bearings, to ensure a smooth traffic transition between the two structures.

Conclusion

Under the guidance of Bhujbalrao and Vaibhav Parab, we completed the complex lifting work in 15 days. The north arm of Barfiwala Bridge was reopened with adjustments in 2024. The Barfiwala Flyover was reopened on July 4 after the load test report and confirmation from VJTI. The load test report confirmed that the bridge, after the lifting, is structurally safe. This project has been successfully completed through the joint efforts of engineers from IIT Mumbai, VJTI, and SMC Infra along with the specialized agency, SCON Infra Prestress LLP.

Thanks to our expertise and experience, BMC entrusted us with another task: aligning the southern arm of Barfiwala Bridge, which involved a 600 mm height adjustment. This work was completed in just 15 days and is scheduled to open to the public by the end of March.

SCON Infra Prestress LLP has successfully executed numerous challenging projects, including:

1) A 50-meter-long floating span (Ambet Bridge) lifted from the top of the superstructure.

2) 9 continuous spans of Ambedkar bridge, Surat lifted by using 50 jacks at a time using a common power pack with synchronized lifting.

3) The Vizag Port Trust Bridge, which was misaligned by 400 mm, causing frequent accidents. SCON lifted and shifted all spans horizontally, minimizing the gap to prevent future accidents.

SCON Infra Prestress LLP (Thane) is the only company in South Asia equipped to use bi-directional hydraulic jacks, which can lift and simultaneously shift structures horizontally with precision.