New "copper bridge" to be slid into place.
The Aurubis AG factory site is criss-crossed by various waterways of the northern arm of the River Elbe. The individual sections of the site are linked by bridges, across which copper is also transported in heavily-laden trucks.
The existing road bridge No. 4 was not designed for the heavy transport loads of the future, and it must replaced by a new structure. In the course of this work, the abutments will also be upgraded and a new pipeline bridge built parallel to the existing bridge. The owners desired a construction that was oriented to the visual appearance of the existing waterway bridges. For the new construction, a two-lane bowstring bridge is proposed with a concrete road deck with increased design loads to carry the weight of very heavy transports.
The particular challenge was the assembly of the bridge superstructure. The main steel structure was delivered in sections and assembled on-site. Then the 300 tonne construction – still without the weight of the 600 tonne concrete road deck – was slid over the 65 metre wide canal with the aid of a heavy crane, several heavy-duty trucks and a slide track to its final position.
The road deck will then be manufactured in place above the water. The use of prefabricated concrete components supplemented by cast-in-place concrete makes it possible to dispense with formwork scaffolding for the concreting work.
Soon, Aurubis AG will have the use of a new, durable "copper bridge".
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