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| Now News Network || New Town || KOLKATA |
The recent collapse of three
bridges has triggered a series of tests on New Town’s Kolkata Gate to check its
strength and structural rigidity. The 55m-high steel and glass
structure overarching the Major Arterial Road (MAR) is almost complete.
Hidco decided to check the
structural worthiness of Kolkata Gate after the Majerhat bridge and a bridge in
Siliguri and in Kakdwip crashed. The inauguration of the gate
that has a viewing gallery and cafeteria encircling the structure from inside,
about 25m above the road, has been postponed for these tests. Thousands of people use the
road to reach the airport, apart from New Town and Sector V, or travel back to
the city. IIT Kanpur is studying the
aerodynamic characteristics of the gate that has two arches criss-crossing each
other at the Rabindra Tirtha crossing. Experts from the IIT have
built a scale model of the gate and connected it to an electronic data
monitoring and logging system, Debashis Sen, Hidco chairman, said.
“The model built with the
same materials as the gate has been placed in front of huge turbines that can
simulate wind speeds of more than 100kmph,” Sen said. “The test will tell us if
the gate would be safe for use during storms and cyclones.”
The four legs of the gate
rest on concrete structures piled deep inside the ground at four traffic
islands at the Rabindra Tirtha crossing.
The 10ft-wide and 60m-long
viewing gallery made of steel and toughened glass has been built by
interlinking four prefabricated structures resembling aerobridges.
The gallery is made of
high-strength alloy that’s lightweight but has high load bearing capacity, a
Hidco engineer who is part of the project said.
“The tensile strength of the
alloy is quite high. We are confident that the gate will pass all strength
tests,” the engineer said.
The facade is made of
toughened glass with laminated silicone sheets that can withstand strong winds,
hailstorms and extreme heat and cold. Engineering consultancy
company RITES will run further checks once IIT Kanpur submits its findings, Sen
said.
The company will check all
parts of the gate to ensure it is absolutely safe for use. At night, only diners will
be allowed inside the gallery that offers a panoramic view of the township, Sen
said. Apart from these checks, Hidco has installed sensors to continuously
monitor and map vibrations on the structure.
The sensors have been
installed on the arches and “are intelligent enough to measure the degree of
vibration, he said. The sensors can send alerts to smartphones, provided they
have a particular app installed.
“If the sensors determine
the degree of vibration could threaten the gate’s structural stability they can
send multiple alerts to phones and even laptops,” Sen said.
“We have downloaded the app
on a few phones and laptops to give us real-time feedback and alerts.”
Once RITES gives the go
ahead the gate will be opened to public.
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