On Monday, 29 June, we at Hollandia Infra carried out the rotation of the new bridge deck for the Papendrechtsebrug. A significant milestone in the production process, bringing together months of preparation, engineering expertise and craftsmanship.
Building the bridge deck upside down
A bridge deck is always built upside down. Most of the welding is located on the underside of the structure, making the trough stiffeners and all other welds easily accessible. Once this work has been completed, it is time to rotate the entire bridge deck so that work on the top side can begin.
This is anything but an everyday operation.
The bridge deck has a carriageway length of 33,3 metres and measures nearly 50 metres in total, including the ballast box. At 22,6 metres wide and weighing approximately 700 tonnes in it’s current fabrication stage – increasing to around 1,450 tonnes once fully assembled – this lifting operation requires the highest level of precision.
The floating crane Matador 3 lifts the bridge deck from the SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Transporters) on the quay and raises it into a vertical position. Suspended from a single crane hook, the structure is then carefully rotated around its vertical axis using tag lines. The crane subsequently lowers the structure back from a vertical to a horizontal position in a slow and highly controlled movement. During this manoeuvre, not only does the bridge deck change orientation, but the main boom of the Matador 3 also changes position. An impressive operation in which every movement has been carefully engineered and calculated in advance.
Once the bridge deck is resting horizontally on the SPMTs again, it is transported to our production hall. There, it is placed on supports and the next phase of the assembly process begins.
Operations like these demonstrate what can be achieved through engineering, meticulous preparation and close collaboration. A fine example of craftsmanship from all colleagues at Hollandia Infra, HEBO – Bonn & Mees and Sarens who contributed to this milestone.
🎥 We will soon be sharing an extensive video offering a closer look at this spectacular operation.
