Design of Longest Span Cable Stayed Bridge

S.Sengupta, Director, Span Consultants Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore.

Zuari is one of the major rivers in India located near the western coast of the country very close to the sea. The river separates the state capital town Panaji from the airport Dabolim which provides access to the tourist state of Goa from across the world. A two–lane prestressed concrete cantilever box girder bridge 807m long was built in 1983 across this river as a part of national highway no. 17 connecting both sides. Subsequently, the vehicular traffic on this corridor increased manifold and the existing bridge had shown signs of serious structural distress. This prompted the authorities to plan for a four-lane new bridge on the river adjacent to the existing one designed on expressway standard. There exists navigational requirement for the crossing and tourism being one of the most important activities of the state, authorities have taken decision to construct a landmark bridge at this location in the form of a long span cable stayed bridge.