Assembly of special constructionpipe bridge Bottrop
Kick-off for a top-class heavy-duty project
Bottrop - An old concrete pipe bridge has to be replaced for the planned six-lane expansion of the A 42 motorway. The bridge will carry supply lines from a local refinery to the Bottrop inland harbour. It spans both the River Emscher and the A42 motorway. In its place, a new pipe bridge will be erected next June, consisting of two substructures over 70 metres long.
Planning for the impressive new Bottrop pipe bridge heavy-duty project has been underway for over three years.
Demolition and new construction of a pipe bridge
The heavy-duty project, which has been planned for more than three years, began with the partial assembly of a support structure that will allow the dilapidated concrete pipe bridge elements from the 1970s to be lifted safely during subsequent dismantling.
A special steel corset was constructed to prevent the concrete bridge sections weighing up to 250 tonnes from collapsing during subsequent dismantling. Targeted support points of this special construction prevent load redistribution within the old concrete elements during the subsequent lifting process.
Support structure ensures safe dismantling of the concrete pipe bridge
The side sections of this steel construction assembled in the first stage each weigh approx. 16 tonnes. The 450-tonne telescopic mobile crane used, which was positioned on the A42, which was closed on one side, had a radius of approx. 54 metres.
The rest of this steel corset will be assembled during a ten-day closure of the A42 motorway at the beginning of June. The actual dimensions of the project will then become clear when, after the old bridge elements have been dismantled, the two new tubular bridge structures, which are over 70 metres long, will be handled by barges in the port with the help of 1000-tonne crawler cranes and then assembled on the site of the old tubular bridge.
Installation of an interception structure on a pipe bridge in Bottrop
