Vestiging Friesland
Maintenance work Caland Bridge
For several months, the bridge trap of the Caland Bridge will be up. This bridge, owned by Rijkswaterstaat and managed by ProRail, has been closed to road traffic due to a technical defect since May 10, 2022. Hollandia is handling the maintenance work on this bridge.
Bearing problems
In May 2022, there were ticking and thumping noises in the engine room of one of the towers in the bridge. These noises appeared to be coming from a bearing of the orbiting wheels. This is where the bridge deck is lifted up and down. To avoid the risk of jamming, it was decided to stop moving the bridge with immediate effect. The bridge has been opened so that the Brittanniëhaven remains accessible to shipping, but that means the bridge is closed to all road traffic.
Defective bearings of circulation wheels
After an inspection, several bearings of the by-pass wheels appear to be damaged in various degrees. The bearings – measuring between 30 and 40 centimeters – cannot be replaced on site. This is because they are located in the towers at a height of 60 meters. This means that for each tower the roof must be removed and the orbiting wheels lifted out, including bearings and part of the coupling.
This lifting operation took place in October 2022. First, the auxiliary structure was built up to take pressure off the by-pass wheels and keep the bridge in the open position. Earlier, the halyard and ballast blocks were jacked up, allowing the full weight to be taken over by the auxiliary structure. Then the total of four by-pass wheels can be lifted out.
Lifting
The work was carried out at our yard in Krimpen aan de IJssel. Everything was then reassembled piece by piece on site. The orbital wheels were placed back into the bridge on Monday, November 14 and Tuesday, November 15, as can be seen in the video below.