Building bridges

In 2022 we looked at bridge building in the USA following Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It's not just there that bridges are being built, though. Judging by the large number of bridge related jobsite stories that have dropped into the Cranes Today email inbox over the last 12 months it’s clear that bridge work, in all its forms, is flourishing for lifting companies around the world.

Because of this we’ve taking a look at a striking selection of bridgerelated jobs – encompassing rail, road and foot bridges – from around the globe, highlighting the various lifting techniques and the wide range of equipment used for them.

RAIL BRIDGES

Who: Wagenborg Nedlift
Where: Duisburg, Germany

In spring 2023 Wagenborg removed two old bridges over the river Schiffahrtkanal between Duisburg and Mülheim.

The bridges measured 20 metres and 60 metres long, with the longer one weighing 300 tonnes. It then installed the Violettebrücke railway bridge measuring 110 metres long and weighing 900 tonnes.

To carry out the work Wagenborg utilised a range of equipment including pontoons, SPMTs and an Enerpac JS250 jack up system.

The old bridge over the river was pushed out of its original position with the help of stoppers on pontoons and turned 90 degrees on the pontoon and lowered 10 metres.

On the pontoon, the top of the old bridge deck was cut away to reduce height of the total combination to such an extent that the pontoon plus bridge could be transported to its final destination: the scrap yard.

To move the new bridge into position a sliding system, developed by Wagenborg’s engineering department, was also used.

A video of the job can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtSYXsC-B2U

Who: Sir Robert McAlpine
Where: HS2 rail line, UK

The 3.4km Colne Valley Viaduct is being built by UK construction and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine as part of the high profile HS2 rail project. To help build the rail bridge it is using 11 Potain MR 225 A luffing jib tower cranes. Once complete it will be the UK’s longest railway bridge.

Each crane is configured with a 50m jib and can lift up to 3.25 tonnes at their jib end. Up to 10 tonnes can be handled out to 25m. All cranes are working with the same configuration, erected on reusable fixing angles, with a 17.5 m height to the jib foot.

The first MR 225 A was erected in June 2022 and the last one will be dismantled in March 2024. The cranes will work ten hours a day for five days a week, lifting concrete formwork and precast sections.

Who: Sarens
Where: Massy, France

Sarens is helping modernise the national rail network in France. As part of this two century-old rail bridges weighing 468 tonnes each – the Pont de Chartres for RER line B and Pont de Gallardon for RER line C – are being dismantled and two new bridge sections installed.

For the dismantling Sarens used its SGC-90 to lift the two bridge sections and set them down on SPMTs.

The SGC-90 was transported to the Massy jobsite from the Port of Rouen (where it arrived from Indonesia). It took 220 trucks to transport the crane and an AC100, LR1200, and CC2800 to assemble it. It was rigged with a 100m main boom configuration in eight weeks.

According to Sarens' senior project manager Dirk Vinck, “It was challenging to assemble the crane in the limited area available. The ground was prepared with mats to adjust the ground bearing pressure. To maintain safety during the project, heavy tackle, weighing a total of 260 tonnes, was used to connect old and new bridges to the crane hook.”

Once on the SPMTs the old bridge sections were taken away for scrapping.

Sarens is now lifting the two new bridge sections into position. The new bridges weigh 1375T (Chartres bridge) and 949T (Gallardon bridge) and are preassembled on the other side of the road. These bridge sections will be transported closer to the SGC-90 by SPMTs.

A video of the job can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJUGUbTuNGE   

Who: Aertssen Cranes
Where: Avignon, France

Antwerp based Aertssen Cranes installed a new railway bridge for Eiffage Génie Civil using an Enerpac JS-250 jack-up system to raise the 220-tonne bridge deck for SPMT installation.

Measuring 24.80 metres long and 4.80 metres wide, the bridge deck was assembled on site resting on two header beams.

Working at ground level, rather than at height, ensured a safer working environment.

Aertssen Cranes was tasked with first positioning two abutments, each weighing 350 tonnes, and then installing the bridge deck, over a weekend.

The tight timing and compact construction site made the JS-250 jack-up system the most efficient lifting system, the company said.

The two JS-250 lifting beams were connected to the header beams supporting the bridge deck by round synthetic rope slings. It was then raised to 10 metres, raising up the bridge deck to 7.8 metres.

A SPMT equipped with climbing jacks was positioned under the bridge deck. After lowering onto the SPMT, the deck was transported and installed on the abutments.

The stability of the JS-250 jack-up lifting system enabled bridge installation preparations to continue uninterrupted even during high winds that would cause delays when using traditional lifting methods with cranes.

ROAD BRIDGES

Who: Key Constructors
Where: Vancleave, Mississippi, USA

Construction company Key, LLC (Key) is currently building seven bridges and an interchange as a major subcontractor of Yates Construction on a 9.8-mile stretch of Highway 57 near Vancleave, Mississippi.

For the work Key is using three Link-Belt Cranes, two 248 HSLs and one 238 HSL, to drive over 300 prestressed concrete pilings for the project. They will also be used for steel erection.

The highway project will eventually serve as a hurricane evacuation route.

Who: Wagenborg Nedlift
Where: Near Berlin, Germany

Wagenborg Nedlift moved the 600 tonne Fahlenberg bridge, which spans the Oder-Spree canal, a distance of 100 metres via a complex jacking and barging operation.

The 40-metre-long Fahlenbergbrücke spans connects the town of Gosen with the Berlin-Müggelheim district. The old bridge is being replaced by a new one.

During the work the old bridge needed to be relocated. For this Wagenborg Nedlift deployed a combination of techniques. First, a set of coupling pontoons with support beams created a stable surface for the company’s brand new 3200 tonne capacity Enerpac jacking system. The system lifted the bridge from its abutments and the pontoons, guided by tugs, moved 100 metres to a new location. The next day, the entire jacking operation took place in reverse order and the bridge was placed on the temporary abutments of the diversion route. A video of the job can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSFyDrpSScU&t=1s    

Who: Sarens
Where: Zaventem, Begium

Sarens moved and installed a 1600 tonne bridge, measuring 105 metres long and 27 metres wide, across one of the busiest highways of Belgium with minimum traffic disruption.

International steel construction company Smulders and Belgian- French construction company Besix commissioned Sarens to move the road bridge over Brussels’ main ring-road as part of a ring-wide renewal project coordinated by traffic mobility specialist De Werkvennootschap.

Sarens mapped out the route beforehand using a 3D scanner to create a digital twin. This helped plan the most critical driving manoeuvres in advance.

The equipment used during the project included: 75 axle-lines of K24ST trailers; CS350 and CS1000 jacking systems (climbing systems).

28 truckloads of equipment arrived from Sarens HQ in Wolvertem and the K24ST trailers arrived directly from other Sarens’ jobsites in France, The Netherlands, and Belgium.

The bridge was jacked-up by 2m using six CS350 climbing towers to place four CS1000 climbing towers atop K24ST trailers underneath the bridge section. Once the load was transferred on the SPMT and climbing tower set-up, the bridge was transported to the installation site and jacked into position. A video of the project can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJUGUbTuNGE

Who: Afcons
Where: Khandala Ghat, India

Four Potain MCT 385 topless tower cranes have almost completed their work constructing the tallest cable-stayed road bridge in India.

The cranes were purchased for the project by Afcons, the main contractor for the bridge build which forms a crucial part of the Khopoli-Kusgaon Connector Project – more commonly known as the Pune-Mumbai Missing Link – which is designed to provide a straighter, safer road by bypassing the hairpin turns and areas of landslide risk.

The four MCT 385 cranes arrived on site in 2021. The cranes’ slewing sections were transported in just seven truckloads to reduce the difficulty of travelling along congested and winding roads. Accessing the remote jobsite was a further obstacle, with each crane initially assembled on the valley floor, to a starting height of 60 m, before being climbed throughout the project to reach their final working height of 181 m.

All four cranes had jibs permanently configured to 50 m, handling loads up to 6.4 t. Their maximum load of 20 t can be lifted out to a 17 m radius. In total, the Potain MCT 385 can accommodate jib lengths of up to 75 m, and maximum tip load at this length is 2.7 t.

The bridge spans a 650 m gap in the Tiger Valley and its parallel piers stand at a height of 170 m. These support the road deck approximately 100 m above the valley floor, in conjunction with four pylons averaging 132 m in height, and reaching a maximum of 182 m.

The Rs. 6695.36 crore (US$800 million) project is expected to officially open in January 2025, reducing travel distance by 6 km and travel time by approximately 25 minutes.

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES

Who: Hubbard Construction, Beyel Brothers
Where: Clearwater, Florida, USA

Hubbard Construction and Beyel Brothers, Inc. assembled and installed a new pedestrian bridge over US Highway 19 in Clearwater at night.

Hubbard Construction assembled the bridge by the side of US Highway 19, on Beyel Brothers’ high-capacity steel stools.

The finished piece was 235 feet long and weighed 240,000 pounds. Beyel Brothers lifted the bridge, rotated it 180 degrees, and set it in place using a 750-ton capacity Demag AC 650 all-terrain crane.

Who: Scholpp Kran & Transport
Where: Esslingen, Germany

Scholpp was commissioned with lifting a dilapidated pedestrian and cycle path bridge over the river Neckar and replacing it with a new structure a few weeks later.

For the work it used three cranes: its S-GK 650 (Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1), S-GK 400 (LTM 1350-6.1), and an S-GK 350 (LTM 1350).

The S-GK 650 was used with a radius of 83 metres, 155 tonnes of counterweight, 59 metres of rocker, and a side super lift.

It took on the main task in this project and floated the first bridge element, weighing 12 tonnes, over the Neckar while the S-GK 350, with a 36 metre mast extension, held the tension on the bridge.

The S-GK 400 was used with a mast extension of 36 metres to achieve a total radius of 85 metres. This required close cooperation between the crane teams, said Scholpp, as both cranes were working in a confined area.

Who: Al Faris
Where: Downtown Dubai, UAE

Al Faris Group provided multi-service capabilities with the transportation, assembly and erection of the Burj Crown link bridge.

The Burj Crown is a 44-storey residential building currently under development. It has a seven-storey podium topped with a leisure deck. The pedestrian bridge links the podium to the adjacent tower (which is clad in a material that appears reflective during the day and transparent at night).

The weight of the bridge was 92 tonnes. Al Faris transported it using two Goldholer ten-axle THPs and two Goldholer eight-axle PST/SLs. It lifted and safely positioned the bridge using a Liebherr 700 tonne mobile crane.

Who: Scholpp Kran & Transport
Where: Stuttgart, Germany

Scholpp Kran & Transport moved and lifted a new steel pedestrian bridge into place straight from the factory where it was fabricated. The bridge weighed five tonnes and measured 16.5 metres long, 2.3 metres wide, and three metres high. Scholpp moved it from the Mächler fabrication works to the construction site using its own truck.

At the jobsite, due to the confined space, Scholpp opted to use its new Tadano AC 4.080-1. It was configured it as a taxi crane, with a partial counterweight of 9.3 tonnes.

“That was enough for this job,” says crane operator Martin Zimmermann, “because the Flex Base outrigger system meant that the AC 4.080-1 didn’t require any more counterweight, despite the heavy load.”

This also meant that the Flex Base system spared Scholpp the expense of using an additional transport vehicle for the crane.

For the lift itself the team had to limit the slewing radius because of an obstructing container and adjacent buildings.

The bridge was lifted safely and accurately into position on Zimmermann’s first attempt. A video of the job can be seen here: https://youtu.be/Til-7N2W3rM

Who: Connect Brisbane, Marr Contracting
Where: Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, Brisbane, Australia

Bridge design, engineering and construction specialist Connect Brisbane has commissioned Marr Contracting to deliver heavy lifting crane services on the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge.

Once complete the bridge will among the longest span cable stay pedestrian bridges in the world. For the work Marr is using its Marr 2480D Heavy Lift Luffing (HLL) crane – which it claims is the world’s largest capacity tower crane.

TEMPORARY BRIDGES

Who: Scholpp Kran & Transport
Where: Sindelfingen, Germany

At the end of June 2023 Scholpp supported the assembly of a temporary bridge over the A81 near Sindelfingen with its S-HK 120 (Liebherr LTM1100-4.2). With a radius of 40 metres and full ballast, numerous beams, slabs and supports weighing up to five tonnes were assembled.

Equipped with a, Scholpp says the crane’s long and strong telescopic boom enabled it to achieve high loads on a large radii.

Watch a timelapse video of the job here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=luJmJpELYy0

Who: BKL
Where: Frankfurt, Germany

BKL’s Frankfurt division, working with German companies Retro Bridge and HOCHTIEF Infrastructure, dismantled a temporary bridge using its 450 tonne LTM 1450-8.1 mobile crane. It lifted the main parts of the bridge, measuring around 25 metres long and weighing 26 tonnes, at a radius of more than 30 metres. The crane was equipped with 104 tonnes of ballast and a ballast radius of six metres.

In addition, the mobile crane team doubled the support area on the embankment and load side with additional plates to 16 square metres.

In addition to lifting the main bridge spans BKL dismantled smaller crossconnections. The crane operator lifted the components, weighing around one tonne, with a radius of up to 50 metres.

TRANSPORTATION

Who: Collett & Sons
Where: Halifax, UK

Calderdale Council undertook its largest infrastructure project to date: the Salterhebble bridge – a new link road across the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterways.

The new bridge comprises four steel bridge sections each measuring 48 metres each and weighing 56 tonnes. It was made by UK structural steel construction expert Severfield.

Over two weeks Collett moved the bridge sections from Severfield’s premises to the Salterhebble Bridge using two Faymonville 8-axle jeep dolly bogie trailers, the latest additions to Collett’s trailer fleet.

These dolly combinations feature automatic steering allowing the back axles to autonomously follow the tractor unit. In addition to this, the trailers also offer the option of overriding this feature providing a manual steering offering and rear steer capabilities, this then allows the rear bogey to steer independently of the tractor unit.

Travelling under Police escort and accompanied by Collett’s Code of Practice pilot cars, each of the loads made the 40 mile trip to Halifax where they awaited being lifted into position. A video of the project can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh-l-rZNH8&t=3s