Concrete

Span of Success

Published

5 years ago

July 1, 2021

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Hyderabad certainly has reason to celebrate! The newly constructed Durgam Cheruvu cable-stay bridge eases traffic and reduces commute time. What?? more, it has set a record for being the world?? longest precast segmental span of 233.85-m in concrete on a cable-stay bridge. Constructed under Telangana?? Strategic Road Development Programme, and recently inaugurated by KT Rama Rao, Minister of Municipal Administration & Urban Development Industries, IT&C, Telangana, the construction of the bridge was completed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and it was dedicated to the people of the city.

??ur association with this young state of Telangana has been rich and we are proud to have delivered yet another pearl to the City of Pearls,??says SN Subrahmanyan, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro. ??nfrastructure development should ultimately improve the life of citizens and this bridge will certainly improve connectivity within the city of Hyderabad manifold. We are also grateful to the Telangana Government for having reposed their faith in us once again to deliver world-class infrastructure once again. And we are happy to have delivered to their complete satisfaction.??/p>

Speaking on the USP of the bridge, SV Desai, Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice-President (Civil Infrastructure), L&T, elaborates, ??t has the world?? longest precast segmental span of 233.85-m in concrete for a cable stay bridge. We have constructed it despite extremely challenging conditions and terrain using a total of 428 mt of high-tensile strand, 26,600 cu m of concrete, 4,800 mt of steel and 287 mt of stay cables. We are happy we delivered the project in time even during these unprecedent times of the pandemic.??/p>

While the entire bridge with its approaches at both ends is 764.38 m, the cable-stayed bridge portion is 435-m long and 25.8-m wide with a total of 52 stay cables. The 53 CC (cement concrete) segments of the bridge are supported by stay cables sourced from Germany. The approach viaduct and solid ramps are 309.8-m long with 1.8-m wide footpaths on both sides.

Hyderabad is another Indian metro notorious for its traffic and this bridge will ease traffic flow towards HITEC City. Studies have revealed that the average time taken to reach the ITC Junction from Jubilee Hills (Road No. 45) is anywhere between 25 minutes and 30 minutes. The Durgam Cheruvu bridge will reduce commute time from Jubilee Hills to Madhapur from 30 minutes to a mere 10 minutes and the distance from Mind Space to Jubilee Hills by 2 km.

Why an extradosed cable-stay bridge?

An extradosed bridge is a cross between a girder and a conventional cable-stayed bridge, wherein the deck is directly supported by the pylon and the tension of the cables acts more to support it vertically. The cable stay acts as a prestressing cable for the concrete deck. Hence, the deck is comparatively thinner and the span length more in an extradosed bridge. Precast engineering has significantly reduced execution time and costs.

The world?? longest precast segmental span

The bridge has the world?? longest precast segmental span of 233.85-m in concrete for a cable-stay bridge. Although extradosed bridges are commonly constructed using the balanced cantilever erection method, in this case, a back span was constructed with complete staging from the ground and then the main span was constructed by cantilever erection with precast segment using a derrick crane.

Speedy construction

The precast segments were made ready by the time the anchor spans were casted in-situ, which speeded up construction. Precast segments of 3.5-m length and weighing 155 tonne were cast or fabricated in a casting yard and transported to site for erection while the derrick crane was designed and fabricated by L&T.

Challenging conditions and terrain

The bridge has been constructed in extremely challenging conditions and terrain with a lot of the work happening at 20-m above ground or above water. Executed within contractual stipulations, the 4.7-m depth of the precast elements was a challenge as was the task of transporting the huge precast elements from the casting yard through the busy, round-the-clock traffic near the site and erecting them at site. A unique aspect of the project was the casting yard that was synchronised with a load-out jetty that substantially reduced cycle time.

The bridge is equipped with aesthetically pleasing, first-of-its-kind carriageway lighting and will be a major recreational and tourist attraction for citizens with its specially designed footpath. Apart from the cables and the lighting system, everything else has been sourced from India making this bridge a shining example of the ??ake in India??movement.

– SHRIYAL SETHUMADHAVAN

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

4 days ago

April 27, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.