Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.

Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the Samruddhi Expressway

Connecting India – a mammoth task

Currently under construction, the Samruddhi Expressway (also known as the Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway) connects the major Indian cities of Mumbai and Nagpur and will have an overall length of 701 km. When completed, the expressway will link India’s largest container handling port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai, to the “Multi-modal International Passenger and Cargo Hub Airport at Nagpur” (MIHAN) and make import and export activities easier throughout the country. Interconnecting highways and feeder roads are also being constructed along its route to connect it to all important cities and tourist destinations.

The Samruddhi Expressway (Samruddhi Mahamarg) project consists of 16 packages and was awarded to 13 contractors: Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (Pkg-1&9), Afcons Infrastructure (Pkg-2&14), NCC (Pkg-3), PNC Infratech (Pkg-4), Sadbhav Engineering (Pkg-5), Apco Infratech (Pkg-6), Reliance Infrastructure (Pkg-7), Iron Triangle (Pkg-8), Larsen & Toubro (Pkg-10), Gayatri Projects (Pkg-11), Dilip Buildcon (Pkg-12), GVPR Engineers (Pkg-13), and Navayuga Engineering Company (Pkg-15&16).

Wirtgen Slipform Pavers Demonstrate Their Full Potential

With a speed limit of 150 km/h, the expressway is the fastest in India, and reduces the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 16 to 8 hours. This calls for maximum concrete paving performance and highest quality paving results that ensure the comfort and safety of road users on their journey. Along the entire 701 km, a total of 16 Wirtgen SP 1600 slipform pavers are being deployed for laying the concrete pavement. Concrete is the ideal material for an ambitious project like this: it is cost-effective, extremely durable and requires very little maintenance. Pavement quality concrete (PQC) was laid at a width of 15 m and a thickness of 310 mm. The necessary reinforcement was provided by an automatic dowel bar inserter and three longitudinal tie bar inserters. The insertion of such dowel bars and tie bars ensures that cracks that invariably occur as a result of stresses and temperature fluctuations are diverted into the concrete pavement in a controlled manner.

Tolles Produkt

The Highlights of the Wirtgen SP 1600 Slipform Paver:

  • Working widths of up to 16 meters (special paving thicknesses and widths of up to 18.75 m are available on request.)
  • Cost-effective paving of concrete surfaces for traffic areas, roadways, industrial areas or infrastructure such as runways or taxiways at airports
  • Unparalleled concrete paving performance
  • Long-term reliability
  • Ergonomically-designed, walk-through operator’s platform for high productivity with minimal fatigue
  • High-powered, fuel-efficient diesel engine with performance and torque characteristic specially optimized for concrete paving
  • Spreader plow for even distribution of the fresh concrete placed in front of the inset paving mold
  • Electrically driven vibrators for optimal concrete compaction
  • Automated insertion of longitudinal joint tie bars to prevent the slabs from drifting apart
  • Inset paving mold suitable for mounting between the track units, underneath the machine
  • Pivoting legs for full adjustment of the track units to prevailing on-site conditions

Get an impression of the construction site in our video

The Wirtgen Group’s Machines Are Real Team Players

Whether from Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm or Kleemann, they all have one thing in common: Wirtgen Group machines guarantee highest quality results. On the Samruddhi Expressway construction project, all of them worked together as a perfectly coordinated team to produce an even, high-quality surface that leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. A large fleet comprising the following Wirtgen Group machines has been working continuously on this project since it began: Wirtgen SP 64, SP 94, SP 15, SP 500, SP 1200, and SP 1600 slipform pavers, Hamm 311 Series soil compactors, Hamm HD 99 tandem rollers, Vögele SUPER 1400, SUPER 1800-3, SUPER 1900-3, and SUPER 2100-3 asphalt pavers, as well as screens and scalpers from Kleemann.

An absolute highlight of this greenfield project was the laying of PQC over the total length of 701 km exclusively by Wirtgen SP 1600 slipform pavers. In total, 16 of them worked on this expressway project.

Kleemann screens and scalpers did the groundwork by producing the aggregates required for the concrete paving mix.

A range of different Vögele paver models took over the task of laying the DLC (dry lean concrete) pavement on various sections such as approach roads and toll areas and laid a surface layer with a thickness of 150 mm.

Hamm tandem rollers ensured an even sub-base and also compacted the hard shoulders on both sides of the expressway’s lanes.

The Wirtgen paving train was the next in line. The SP 1600, and SP 94 slipform pavers laid the concrete pavement and were followed by a TCM 180 texture curing machine that added the finishing touches to the brand-new concrete lanes.

Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.

Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Impressive Performance

When it comes to the experience and day-to-day handling of the equipment, everyone on the site agrees that they couldn’t be happier with the performance of the machines. “They do a wonderful job and we are extremely satisfied with their performance,” said Neeraj Sharma, Senior Quality Assurance Manager at Apco Infratech Pvt. Ltd., responsible for Package 5. “The technology, the quality, and the results they deliver are all outstanding.” Wirtgen India, the local subsidiary of the Wirtgen Group, was always quickly at hand in case the customer needed advice or assistance: “They always responded to our needs, helped to solve any problems we had, and advised and assisted our team from time to time. In challenging situations, they were always there to help.”

Neeraj Sharma, Senior Quality Assurance Manager, Apco Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

“The machines do a wonderful job and we’re extremely satisfied with their performance.”

Neeraj Sharma, Senior Quality Assurance Manager
Apco Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

Facts and figures of Package 9 of the Samruddhi Expressway Project

Parameters
Project specification
Paving of 54 km sections with 4 lanes (Section 9 of 16)
Equipment used
PQC (Wirtgen slipform pavers) |
DLC (Vögele pavers)
Paving thickness
310 mm PQC |
150 mm DLC
Paving width
Wirtgen slipform pavers 15 m |
Vögele pavers up to 4.75 m
Machines deployed
Wirtgen slipform pavers
1 x SP 1600 | 1 x SP 94
Wirtgen texture curing machines
2 x TCM 180
Vögele pavers
2 x SUPER 1800-3
Hamm tandem rollers
2 x HD 99
Hamm soil compactors
3 x Hamm 311 Series models
Kleemann screen
1 x MS 703 EVO
Kleemann scalper
1 x MS 800
Technology and Environmental Protection Go Hand in Hand

The expressway has a positive effect on fuel consumption and thus also on exhaust emissions and, in no small measure, on the costs incurred per kilometer. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) predicts an average daily traffic volume of 100,000 vehicles. Initially, the expressway will be constructed with eight lanes – four in each direction. With the future in mind, sufficient land has been set aside in the center of the expressway to allow the construction of four additional lanes. It is the first e-way in the country with electric charging stations every 40 to 50 km. The planting of almost 3 million trees, plants and shrubs along both sides – with geotagging and a drip irrigation system for each tree – will transform the e-way into a state-of-the-art greenfield expressway.

Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.
Wirtgen Group Machines Deliver Great Performance on the New Samruddhi Expressway.