Atal Setu

2010-2015 | Basohli, India – After 50 years of public petitioning, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) of the Indian Ministry of Defense proceeded with the development of the Atal Setu Bridge, an alternative route to National Highway 1A. The two-lane bridge would reduce travel time between Punjab in the south to Jammu & Kashmir in the north by over four hours and would provide pedestrian passageway as well. Besides local economic growth, this new connection would act as a strategic route for nation building, providing emergency response access in the Kashmir Valley.

BRO chose a design-build delivery method – the first ever for a cable-stayed bridge in India. McElhanney was the structural designer for the 592m long bridge, and co-located Canadian staff in India during the design phase and engaged a local Senior Engineer to assist with integration with the construction team and to streamline the proof-checking process with the Indian Institute of Technology.

The much-anticipated opening of the bridge drew a huge crowd for the inauguration by the Defence Minister of India. This landmark bridge is being proudly described by the local community as an “engineering marvel.”

Since completion, the Atal Setu has won the following awards:

• The ACEC-BC Award of Excellence – which celebrates technical excellence and recognize innovation in engineering.
• The ACEC-Canada Award of Excellence – which represents the highest honours for excellence in consulting engineering.
• The Ambassador’s Achievement Award – which honours a project constructed or executed outside of Canada, that best showcases Canadian engineering expertise.