CMRL’s pillars over Kathipara flyover to be completed soon

The Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II construction work over the Kathipara clover flyover is moving quickly, and will be completed in four months.

This section of Metro Rail’s Corridor 5 – Madhavaram to Sholinganallur via Alandur – has the tallest pillar and sharpest curve in the entire phase II network, said officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).

The CMRL is building six pillars at the Kathipara flyover junction.

In a few years, commuters using this corridor will have access to two stations around this junction — Butt Road and Alandur (both phase I and phase II networks integrate in this location).

108-ft tall pillar

“The construction of the second tallest pillar has been completed. While the tallest pillar, coming up at 108 feet, will be ready in November, the remaining four will be completed by the end of February,” an official said.

The CMRL began construction at the junction after receiving the Commissioner of Rail Safety’s approval, as it is being built above the operational phase I network.

Novel problem

During the construction of these pillars last month, the officials encountered a new problem. “Since a high-voltage line and the overhead electrical equipment of the phase I network were close to the upcoming pillars, electrical induction problems began to arise. This occurs when metallic structures, such as construction machinery, are in close proximity to a high-voltage line,” an official said.

“We planned the construction in such a way as to prevent electrical induction issues. But when we started work on the spans close to the Corridor 1 line, the parameters crossed the permissible limits, and as soon as we saw the signs of electrical induction, we stopped the work,” he said.

‘Form Traveller’

Officials said they immediately approached the retired chief electrical inspector of the State government to oversee the work. Based on his recommendation, the construction equipment ‘Form Traveller’ — deployed for building the balanced cantilever section — was insulated.

“Form Traveller is a movable frame that aids in constructing large spans. The overhead equipment is switched off every day once the Metro services of the phase I network stop operating, and the construction of the pillars begins. We only have four hours at night to build them, and hence, it is turning out to be a time-consuming process. The corridor 5 line over Kathipara Flyover will be completed by the end of February,” an official said.