Seven Liebherr cranes have been deployed to assist with the replacement and construction of two bridges on Switzerland’s N16 national road, located between Tavannes and Biel in the canton of Bern.
The work, carried out by Walo Bertschinger on behalf of the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), began in July 2024 and is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
The construction site sits in a confined valley bordered by a motorway, a railway line, and a river, with two adjacent existing bridges contributing to the limitation of space.
These constraints, along with daily limits on lorry deliveries, have necessitated careful planning for every material lift.
Throughout the project, the Liebherr cranes have been tasked with managing the logistics and placement of construction materials and components under these challenging conditions.
The N16 national road, also known as the Transjurane, connects the canton of Jura to the Swiss Mittelland and crosses through the Bernese Jura region.
FEDRO has commissioned the replacement of one bridge and the construction of another new bridge along this route, as part of a broader infrastructure maintenance programme.
The construction work is being carried out in several phases. For the first bridge, designated D19, Liebherr models 90 EC-B 6, 270 EC-B 12, and 65 K self-erecting cranes were used during 2024 and 2025. The D333 span utilised an L1-32 crane, also in 2024.
For the second bridge, D19A, a 90 EC-B 6 and a 270 EC-B 12 are in use again, from 2025 to 2026, supported by an 81 K self-erecting crane.
These cranes are responsible for the precise installation of steel girders for the temporary falsework, the assembly of timber formwork systems, the positioning of reinforcing bars, and the handling of auxiliary structures.
A noteworthy challenge has been constructing a falsework spanning 22m without intermediate support.
Work is taking place next to operational rail and road traffic. The proximity to the railway line and motorway required the operating methods and reach of the cranes to be adapted to SBB Rail’s safety standards, including the use of a telescopic crane on the track.
The project also involves the use of bespoke formwork and drilling operations both within and outside the track and carriageway areas.
Walo Bertschinger Ingenieurbau West ppa. project manager Antonio D’Onofrio said: “On a construction site bordered by a railway line and a motorway, every movement counts,” said Antonio D’Onofrio, Project Manager ppa. Civil Engineering West, Walo Bertschinger AG. “With the Liebherr tower cranes, we can position the structural elements precisely and safely even under these cramped conditions and keep to our construction schedule as planned.”
