Double Bridge Installation in Duisberg for Max Bögl with Sarens
For bridge installations that demand flawless and safe execution, clients trust Sarens’ years of industry-tested wisdom and innovative engineering leadership. That is why, from the fall through winter of 2022, client Max Bögl asked Sarens to carefully install two vital bridges in the city of Duisburg: the Oberbürgermeister Karl Lehr Brücke (OBKL) over the Ruhr river, and the Hafenkanalbrücke spanning the canal that leads to the port of Duisburg.
The new OBKL bridge to be installed, a massive 4.400t structure of pure steel, measured:
- 25m high,
- 34m wide, and
- 180m long including the approach bridges.
It would replace the old structure connecting the Kaßlerfelder roundabout with the Pontwert.
The other bridge Sarens was tasked with installing, the new Hafenkanalbrücke, weighed approximately 3.650t and was also constructed of pure steel. It measured:
- 25m high,
- 34m wide, and
- 126m long.
It would replace the old structure connecting the Pontwert to Mercator Island.
This particular operation posed significant challenges, not the least of which was skidding heavy bridge sections within a limited operational window that left no room for error. There was limited space to set up equipment for the operation. The crew also had to adjust to wind restrictions and very low water levels.
After numerous calculations and meticulous planning, the team shortlisted the following equipment:
- Barge Paula (100m x 33m x 7,6m)
- 68 axle-lines SPMTs
- 12 x SJ200T strand jacks
- 8 x CS450 jacking system
- 16 x CS250T jacking system
- Modular beam system, 1500mm x 1000mm
- Bracing systems
- Skidding system
All equipment was set up within six weeks, and everything except the barge was transported via 75 truckloads from Sarens headquarters and various yards in Europe. Barge Paula was towed over the North Sea and along the River Rhine.
The Hafenkanalbrücke was the first bridge to be installed. The crew carefully skidded the bridge section, using strandjacks and skidshoes, onto the barge Paula. Next, the loaded barge was moved approximately 100 metres further with winch cables so that the bridge could be skidded over the barge on skidshoes installed on the island. The crew skidded the whole bridge over the island and parked it there, between the Rhine and the port canal.
In the meantime, the barge sailed around to the port canal, where the crew skidded the bridge back onto the barge via strandjacks and a skidding system. Once it was completely loaded, winch cables moved it into its final position. The bridge was then lowered onto the abutments by means of a jacking system.
Next, the barge Paula moved back to the Rhine to skid the OBKL bridge onboard in a similar manner. The bridge was then positioned by means of winch cables and lowered onto the abutments with a jacking system.
The team had to skid both bridges into place within a limited timeframe, in a very complex and difficult operation. To ensure safety throughout, the crew handled the extremely heavy bridge sections in a very slow and precise manner. Wind and water level restrictions further compounded this challenge, and the crew had to closely monitor the barge to ensure stability of the entire set-up given the low water levels and bridge sections to be installed.
Featured Title photograph
8,050t of steel are floating across the harbour canal and the Ruhr, the advance of the two bridges on the Karl-Lehr bridge has begun. Courtesy of Sarens
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