Nagpur Metro Begins Construction of Maharashtra’s Longest Balanced Cantilever Bridge.

Nagpur is set to mark a new milestone in urban infrastructure as MahaMetro has commenced work on Maharashtra’s longest balanced cantilever (CLC) bridge for its Metro project. The bridge is part of the Hingna corridor under Metro Phase-2, MahaMetro officials confirmed.

The upcoming 271-metre-long bridge will soar 16 metres above the existing road bridge, crossing the Vena river without any supporting piers in the waterway. Built using a specialised balanced cantilever technique, the bridge will extend outward from both sides of its supports, ensuring strength and stability while keeping the river completely unobstructed.

The bridge design includes a central span of 120 metres, with adjoining spans of 79 metres towards Nagpur city and 72 metres towards Hingna. An additional 15 metres at each end will extend beyond the current bridge limits to smoothly integrate with existing road infrastructure. This method not only preserves the river ecosystem but also leaves space for future expansion of the existing road bridge.

Once completed, the CLC bridge will surpass the length of the currently under-construction Kamptee-Uppalwadi bridge (258 metres) and the Cotton Market CLC bridge (231 metres).

The bridge forms a key part of the 6.7-km Reach-3A section of the Hingna corridor, which will feature seven stations and is being developed at a cost of ₹378 crore. The bridge’s construction budget alone is ₹45 crore. To ensure minimal traffic disruption during construction, temporary widening of roads on both approaches has already been carried out, with pile load testing underway.

“The balanced cantilever technique, considered advanced in modern bridge engineering, eliminates the need for temporary supports beneath the bridge, reducing disruption for commuters, river users, and residents,” said R Arunkumar, Executive Director of MahaMetro.

The project is being executed by Kalpataru Projects International Limited (KPIL), with bridge design by KPIL’s team Ayesa. An independent consultant and VNIT Nagpur have been appointed to validate the structure’s safety. Officials expect the bridge to be completed within 18 months.

Directed by Rajeev Tyagi, director of projects, the new bridge will significantly improve connectivity on the Hingna corridor, offering faster, safer, and more reliable metro travel to thousands of daily commuters.

While alternative designs involving steel bridges and river piers were considered, the balanced cantilever bridge was chosen as the most cost-effective and least disruptive option.

Meanwhile, construction on the Hingna corridor is progressing well. To date, 120 foundations (pile and open) have been completed, 73 out of 240 piers have been built, and two out of 228 girders have been cast. Overall, around 15% of the Hingna section work has been completed, on schedule with project milestones.