A new bridge for Novi Sad

The new bridge is being built to replace one destroyed in NATO air raids in 1999. Earlier this year, a Manitowoc Potain tower crane was used on the same job, working under remote control from a cofferdam in the Danube (Cranes Today, March 2017, p50).

ALE was chosen to perform the bridge launch. The project started in June 2017 and involves jacking and weighing, as well as launching two arches and two span sections. ALE deployed jacks, load cells, hydraulic winches and pontoons, a skidding system, a ballast system and a bespoke gantry.

The first manoeuvre consisted of jacking-up the first bridge section, weighing 4,750t, using 16 jacks with 7,600t capacity.

In order to make the project as cost- and time-effective as possible, ALE has sought an alternative engineering solution by adapting the height of the gantry for several river levels and using a modular steel structure with the combination of hydraulic jacks on top the main columns.

Francisco Gómez, project engineer for ALE, said: “We have a team of bridge experts working on this and, by finding a solution that will allow the client to install the bridge with a range of 4m between the water levels, we are reducing the project costs and optimising the overall duration of the project so the remaining building work of the railway infrastructure can continue.”

The project is expected to be completed in October 2017.