New arch bridge for Frankfurt

Donges SteelTec builds bar arch bridge for the Regionaltangente West (RTW) in Frankfurt am Main

An impressive bar arch bridge is currently being built at the Frankfurt Stadion S-Bahn station and thus right in front of the Waldstadion Frankfurt. The bridge structure carries the new RTW line over the existing Deutsche Bahn AG track system.

The superstructure of the bar arch bridge with a span of approx. 113 m is being built in steel construction and is divided into two arch levels consisting of stiffening girders, arches and hangers, as well as an orthotropic carriageway and walkways with cable ducts on both sides.

Design, fabrication and corrosion protection of the steel components were carried out at the Donges SteelTec GmbH plant in Darmstadt.

Parallel to the fabrication, the individual foundations were produced on the construction site and the auxiliary scaffolding was prepared for the erection. The steel structures were delivered by heavy-duty transporters to the pre-assembly site, where a mobile crane placed the components directly into the assembly position. Due to the very tight space conditions on the construction site, the pre-assembly began in the eastern area of the assembly area. Here, the first third of the superstructure with axis 10 was assembled in a horizontal position and then moved along the assembly area in a westerly direction using an SPMT (Self-Propelled Modular Transporter) so that the other steel sections could then be added.  Welding and corrosion protection work is currently underway on the site until autumn 2023.

For the actual insertion over the DB tracks in May 2024, the superstructure will be stacked in the storage axles to shunting height, transferred to SPMT and aligned in the shunting position. During a 24-hour break in rail traffic, the superstructure will be pushed over the track field with maximum cantilever and taken over on the opposite side by a lattice boom crawler crane.

We are very pleased to be able to carry out this exciting project close to home.

 

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Spectacular assembly of the Jauntal Bridge begins

One of the highest railway bridges in Europe gets a new steel superstructure

At 96 m, the Jauntal Bridge in Austria is one of the highest railway bridges in Europe. In the course of the construction of the new double-track Koralmbahn railway line, the existing single-track structure of the Jauntal Bridge will be upgraded to a modern, double-track steel truss composite structure. Donges SteelTec has been awarded the contract for the manufacture, delivery and assembly of the steel superstructure. The 3300 tonne steel structure will be manufactured at the Darmstadt plant. The 428 m long steel structure will first be assembled in three segments on a pre-assembly area below the existing bridge. The three structural elements are then moved transversely and longitudinally one after the other. In the process, the old and new supporting structures are connected to each other and the existing bridge is also pushed out.

The spectacular assembly work high above the river Drava begins in early January, when the first of the three segments of the new superstructure is first shifted transversely and then coupled to the existing structure. The first longitudinal shift will then follow in February. A technical and logistical challenge for our employees and, after the Danube bridge in Linz (bypass bridges), another milestone for our company in neighbouring Austria.

 

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Donges SteelTec builds new Rhine bridge

Bridge construction division is pleased with major contract for the replacement construction of the Pfaffendorfer Bridge in Koblenz

Donges SteelTec, as part of the ARGE Pfaffendorfer Brücke consortium, has been awarded the contract for the replacement construction of the Pfaffendorfer Bridge in Koblenz.

As an important link across the Rhine, the existing bridge must be completely replaced by a new one. For this purpose, the 311 m long steel composite bridge, which is broken up in the area of the pier coves, will first be built in the lateral position next to the existing bridge and, after the demolition of the existing bridge, will be moved transversely into the final position.

Donges SteelTec is taking over the technical responsibility for the entire structure by preparing the structural analysis of the river bridge, the assembly planning and the execution and workshop drawings within the consortium. Around 5,500 tonnes of steel structure will be manufactured and corrosion-protected in the halls of Donges SteelTec GmbH in Darmstadt. Afterwards, the steel elements, weighing up to 450 tonnes, will be successively transported by ship via a pre-assembly site on the Rhine to the construction site, where they will be assembled above the Rhine by means of floating cranes.

The work for the new Rhine bridge will be carried out between 2023 and 2027

 

 

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Replacement and new bridge construction BAB A73 Bamberg-Lichtenfels

Donges SteelTec moves 1400-ton steel bridge of the motorway A73 into final position

Even storm “Zeynep” and “Antonia” could not stop our technicians: At the end of February, the second superstructure of the motorway bridge in the direction of Bamberg was shifted at the A73 junction Breitengüßbach Süd. The steel structure, which weighs around 1,400 tonnes, is 150 metres long and approx. 18 metres wide, was pushed into its final position over the weekend across the B 4 trunk road, the railway tracks and a field path. Completion of the 3-span steel composite bridge is planned for autumn 2022.

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Thulba Viaduct – First shifting

First steel component of the 7-span Thulba viaduct shifted.

Darmstadt/Oberthulba, June 2021. Last weekend, the first longitudinal shifting of the steel superstructure for the new Thulba viaduct took place. The steel colossus was moved 66 m. However, the high summer temperatures on Friday not only caused problems for our assembly team, but also for the steel structure. This resulted in deformations of the steel component due to uneven heating. However, our experienced fitters quickly found a solution to this unforeseen challenge, so that the final position of the bridge section was reached on schedule on Saturday morning.

The replacement of the Thulba viaduct is a steel composite bridge with two superstructures, which crosses the A7 between Würzburg and Fulda in the Bad Kissingen/Oberthulba section. The bridge has a total length of 460 m each and runs up to 53 m above the valley. The steel structure tonnage totals 6,000 tonnes.

 

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Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge Rheinstraße, Darmstadt

With the red bridge over the Rheinstraße Donges SteelTec sets an imprressive new accent on urban development in Darmstadt

The new bridge over Darmstadt’s most important access road provides an important new pedestrian and cycle link between the Europaviertel with the main railway station and the new Rhein-Main telecommunications centre.

The aim was to preserve the tree population as far as possible. For this reason, the bridge swings over the Rheinstraße and playfully winds its way between the trees with its long ramps.

The bridge consists of a steel construction made in our factory in Darmstadt, it is 318 metres long and three metres wide. 370 tonnes of steel go into the structure, which rests on V-shaped supports.

While it is finished in steel grey on the outside, the stairs, access road and zebra crossing are designed in bright red. LED lighting is fully integrated into the handrails. In the evening and night hours, it illuminates the entire course of the bridge and the red interior colour begins to shine.

After the construction of the Dornheimer Weg Bridge in 1910 and its renovation in 2002, we are proud to have once again set an urban accent in Darmstadt with the new bridge over the Rheinstraße.

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A3 Steigerwald Motorway

Two new Steigerwald motorway bridges in just one night

During the last operation, it was only one bridge, this time we increased the operation and installed two steel hollow box girders for the country road bridges over the A3 near Erlangen in only one night.

For this, the section between Heßdorf and Höchstadt an der Aisch was completely closed for 14 hours.

In order to keep the closure of the motorway as short as possible, two different pre-assembly sites with wide access to the motorway had been set up beforehand. Here, the 4 bridge parts prefabricated in our factory in Darmstadt were welded together to form the two 260 and 380 tonne and 70 meter long steel colossi.

In order to transport the two bridges in their full size to the actual construction site, a complicated and unusual technique was required. Two self-propelled heavy-duty transport modules (SPMT) were used for this purpose. They brought the bridge constructions at walking pace over the closed motorway to the places where they were set down free-floating, centimetre by centimetre, at their destination.

The 70 km long motorway section in the Steigerwald between Würzburg and Erlangen will be renewed by 2025. Another 19 steel composite bridges will be installed in the same way.

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A6 Grumbachtal Bridge

Successfully connected! “Bridge closure” for the 1st construction phase of the Grumbachtal Bridge.

Darmstadt/St. Ingbert

In mid-February, the last two components, the so-called “bridge closure”, for the 1st construction phase of the Grumbachtal Bridge were successfully assembled.

Even before that, there had been a lot to marvel at in St. Ingbert when the first six bridge components were lifted into place. With the help of a caterpillar crane specially set up for the lifting operation, our assembly team managed to lift the huge steel structures into their final position in a very confined space.

Now the lifting oft he last two mighty bridge sections, each with a length of around 22 metres and a weight of up to 60 tonnes, was once again spectacular. For the crane’s crossing, which was only allowed to take place at night, the traffic over the bridge had to be slowed down for a short time and for the actual lifting, the motorway in the direction of Saarbrücken was even completely closed for several hours, as the components were unloaded on the motorway, turned and then lifted into their final position.

On Sunday, 15 February, the time had come and the first construction phase could be completed precisely and on schedule. The fact that this went so smoothly is largely due to the precise planning work of the responsible assembly engineer and our well-rehearsed, experienced assembly team on site. The components are now being welded together.

At the end of March, our assembly team will leave the construction site as planned and will not return until the second construction phase can probably be assembled in 2022.

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A3 Steigerwald Motorway

Installation of the first Steigerwald freeway bridge in just one night

Darmstadt, 29.11.2020. Our assembly engineers only had one night to install the 260-ton highway bridge over the A3. For this purpose, the A3 was completely closed off between Schlüsselfeld and Höchstadt-Nord.

The preparations had already begun weeks earlier with the installation of a pre-assembly area on a former freeway parking lot shortly before the Schlüsselfeld exit. There the four steel bridge sections manufactured at our plant in Darmstadt were first welded together to form a 70 meter long and 260 ton bridge structure.

Two self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) transported the bridge structure at walking speed over the closed highway to the construction site two kilometers away, where it was then placed in the bridge bearings, centimeter by centimeter, free-floating.

By 2024, a further 21 steel composite bridges will be installed over the Steigerwald motorway.

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Urft Valley-Bridges

Three new superstructures for the railroad line in the Urft Valley

On November 20, 2019, Donges SteelTec was awarded the contract for the design, manufacture and erection of three steel superstructures for the railroad line in the Urft Valley in the Eifel region. One year later, the assembly of the steel structures has now been completed and the overpasses have been opened to rail traffic. The structures are located near the villages of Sötenich and Nettersheim and transfer the railroad line 2631 over the Urft.

They are each trough structures with orthotropic roadway slabs, which are designed as single-span girders. The spans of the three structures range from 15.70 m to 23.40 m. The largest superstructure has a net weight of 107 tons.

All three superstructures were manufactured in our factory in Darmstadt and transported to the construction site by heavy goods vehicle. Within three days, the superstructures were lifted into their final position with a mobile crane. After the sidewalks had been added and finishing work had been carried out, the track is now in operation again.

The many years of experience and the expert knowledge of our bridge construction engineers made it possible to complete the three structures on time and to the highest quality standards. Donges SteelTec thus successfully continues the construction of railroad bridges and makes an important contribution to the maintenance and expansion of the railroad infrastructure in Germany.

 

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