GRSE develops steel pedestrian Foot Suspension Bridge with spans up to 400 feet

Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), the Navratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) that has supplied the largest number of warships to the Navy and Coast Guard, is also the market leader in the fabrication and erection of Bailey-type and modular steel bridges in the country.

The company has now successfully developed a new product – a Steel Pedestrian Foot Suspension Bridge (FSB) of spans up to 400 feet (122 metres), having a carriageway width of 2.20 metres, conforming to IRC-6 Load Class 18R. The design has been vetted and validated by IIT-BHU. The FSB is for pedestrians/light motor vehicle (LMV) traffic of up to 400 kg. The bridge has anti-skid steel decking. High-tensile structural steel has been used for the main load-bearing elements.

“The bridge has a galvanised finish conforming to IS:2629. This allows it to last 45-50 years (with periodic maintenance). These bridges are ideally suited for providing quick access to remote, inaccessible areas and facilitating viable connectivity and socio-economic development, especially in difficult terrains. They can also be used in urban/rural areas alongside existing bridges to facilitate seamless pedestrian movement,” a senior GRSE official told IANS.

The bridges that GRSE builds can be installed, even in difficult terrain, within a very short time. Till now, the company has supplied over 5,900 such bridges of various lengths and load-bearing capacities to various organisations and governments.

The customers include the Indian Army and Border Roads Organisation, as well as various state PWDs and NHIDCL.

“These bridges have also been supplied in good numbers to the Governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh towards rural development. We are also exporting the portable/modular steel bridges to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka,” the official said.

These quick launch bridges manufactured by GRSE are extremely useful in disaster management to bridge the breached roads, especially where construction of an intermediate pier is difficult. “As a matter of fact, GRSE is a pioneer in the manufacture of these portable steel bridges. Our Quality Management System is certified for ISO-9001:2015 towards design, manufacturing and supply of portable steel bridges and we have Green Channel Clearance for fabrication and supply of Bailey/Portable bridges which is a stamp of superior quality and workmanship,” the official added.

The 66-year-old DPSU shipyard has also built over 800 vessels of various kinds, including 118 warships for the Navy and Coast Guard. Eighty of these have gone to the Navy. It has also exported two warships.

At the moment, GRSE is building 39 platforms, including nine warships. It is also building 13 vessels for export, apart from four advanced research ships.

–IANS

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