Bottrop – This Tuesday, the first of two bridge structures—each weighing 220 tons and over 70 meters long—was unloaded from a barge at the Bottrop port, located in close proximity to the A42 motorway. The two new steel structures from Meppen arrived at the Bottrop port on schedule via inland waterways.

The unloading process is currently being carried out using two 1,000-ton crawler cranes from WASEL. Due to the railway tracks between the harbor basin and the transshipment area, the two cranes must perform tandem lifts, each handling 110 tons at outreach distances of 66 meters and 80 meters respectively.

The second bridge segment will be unloaded on Wednesday.

Both bridge sections will be temporarily stored at the site for about a week before continuing their “journey” toward the “Old Pipe Bridge” on the A42, which is approximately one kilometer away.

With a weight of 220 tons each and impressive dimensions of 71 meters in length, 7 meters in width, and 5.60 meters in height, the successful transshipment is the result of meticulous planning and years of experience.