Kolkata: In a landmark achievement, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) launched a first-of-its-kind Modular Foot Suspension Bridge (FSB) on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at its Belur Unit in Kolkata. Designed for longer spans of up to 400 feet, this fully indigenous bridge marks a significant milestone in GRSE’s efforts to support national self-reliance in infrastructure development.
The FSB was launched by Natarajan Partheepan, General Manager (Bailey Bridge), GRSE in the presence of Cmde Ramesh Menon, Chief General Manager (Bailey Bridge & DEP), and other senior officials of GRSE. This initiative is a major step toward fulfilling the vision of Prime Minister’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and reflects GRSE’s ongoing commitment to diversification and innovation in engineering.
The newly launched Modular Foot Suspension Bridge (FSB) features a steel decking carriageway with a width ranging from 1.8 to 2.2 metres, conforming to Indian Road Congress (IRC) Load Class, 18R and 400 Kg/sqm live load standards. This bridge is 100% indigenous and uniquely modular, making it the only bridge of its kind currently available in India.
One of the most significant advantages of this innovation is the rapid deployment capability. The 400-foot bridge can be launched without piers in under 30 days. This makes it an ideal solution for improving road connectivity in border regions, supporting operational readiness of security forces, and responding swiftly to disaster situations.
While GRSE is widely known for shipbuilding and ship repair, it is the only defence public sector shipyard to have successfully diversified into the engineering domain, notably in prefabricated steel bridges. The shipyard’s Bailey Bridge Unit has a distinguished history of designing, developing, and installing bridges in remote and difficult terrains across India and abroad. Till date, GRSE has delivered over 5,900 Bailey Bridges to the Indian Army, BRO, NHIDCL, various state and central PWDs, and neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
