Work on the new Rhine Bridge Leverkusen has reached an important milestone: The first steel elements were erected on the first weekend in March. The steel element weighing over 1,000 tons has been moved into its final position using special equipment.

Preparatory work was already underway at the construction site on the banks of the Rhine in Leverkusen before the assembly weekend. The steel elements delivered in the last few months have been joined together to form a bridge section. This part is approx. 66 meters long and 34 meters wide and weighs 1,115 tons. Viewed from the right side of the Rhine, it will be the first bridge section on which traffic will roll when the bridge is completed next year. During the week, the bridge section has already been "jacked up" on special vehicles. These are several self-propelled modular transport platforms (SPMT) that can flexibly move heavy loads.

When erection started, every minute counted, because the A 59 exit Leverkusen-Mitte had to be fully closed for traffic. On the one hand, the bridge section had to be moved across the carriageway to the erection site, and on the other hand, for safety reasons, no one was allowed to stay under the bridge section until it had been erected. Erection during ongoing traffic was therefore ruled out. In order not to interfere too much with traffic, such work is therefore carried out at weekends.

At 10 p.m. on March 4, 2022, the roadway was closed. As there is a construction traffic routing there, this was first dismantled so that the transport platforms had a "clear run". Saturday morning, the SPMTs set off with the bridge section in the direction of the Rhine Bridge to its erection position. Later, the bridge section was lifted by several meters using a lifting system.

Finally, on March 6, 2022, the bridge section was moved into its final position and assembled in the morning. The work was completed at around 2 p.m. The closed exit of the A59 was reopened to traffic during the evening on Sunday.

Another milestone will be reached in just a few weeks: In May, the first bridge sections are to be erected in the area on the left bank of the Rhine. For this purpose, steel parts will be delivered via the Rhine and lifted directly from the ship.

Originally, it was planned that the first side span would be launched. The erection with SPMTs is a special proposal from the construction company SEH, which was developed by LAP.

Photo / Video: Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes