Road Structures

Two technologies combined to give a heavily used bridge a new surface that should last for years The Avonmouth Bridge carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon, and is a vital part of the road infrastructure in south-west England, linking the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to the rest of the country. Completed in 1973, it carries commuters to the city of Bristol, and to South Wales, along with holidaymakers. The 1.4km long steel box girder bridge comprising a 16,000m2 steel decked central span a

Advances in bridge monitoring technology should help ensure structural safety Highly productive, Fugro Aperio's ground penetrating radar system offers accurate scanning of bridge condition Bridge engineers can now benefit from a new technology designed to pinpoint shallow targets, such as masonry fixings, reinforcement bars or delamination between thin layers. This uses the latest high resolution ground penetrating radar (GPR) antenna and has been developed by Cambridge-based Fugro Aperio in the UK. Operati

A new Liebherr Compactmix 1.0 plant is being used as part of a process in the manufacture of pre-fabricated concrete components. The Compactmix 1.0 compact mixing system was bought by a facility in Türkheim, Germany and its versatility has helped in integrating the unit into the plant's existing production hall. A conveyor belt for the concrete links the mixing system to the prefabricated part production section. The Liebherr ring-pan mixer Type RIM-M is equipped with a mechanical agitator system, and along

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is at the stage that it cannot cope with much more traffic, yet the population of the Auckland region continues to grow at a steady rate. Coupled with that, the bridge is a key link in the most important transport corridor in the country, State Highway One. Without it, the country would struggle to function. Not only home to New Zealand's largest city and one third of its population, Auckland's port is one of the country's largest. Some 140m north of the city is Marsden Point, th

How will the deep cuts hitting France's national budget affect French roads and highways? Gordon Feller discusses France has one of the most modern transport systems in Europe, the result of decades of public spending on the sector as well as other infrastructure. The government historically has awarded contracts to build infrastructure to French construction and engineering companies, some of which are now among the world's largest contractors. Among other achievements, France's infrastructure programme re

The multi-span reinforced concrete viaduct at Torano, about 100km east of the Italian capital Rome, is a major structure on the main E80/A24/A25 Autostrada crossing central Italy. The Viadotto Fiume Salto was opened in the late 1960s, but the use of de-icing salts during winter months has since caused considerable calcium chloride damage to the structure forcing the Italian Highways Authority and the Autostrada di Parchi's owner Toto to carry out extensive repairs. The renovation estimated at around €5 mill

Barin is supplying a new underbridge inspection platform to a Canadian customer, as well as a unit to a firm in Russia. The ABC190/L for Canada is the first machine Barin has supplied to the country and the customer is rental company Jenik Construction, based in St Mathieu de Veloil. The platform is mounted on a five axle Freightliner M2-112 truck chassis and can operate from a single lane of traffic. It offers a bridge barrier clearance of 4.4m, a pavement/sidewalk clearance of 4.4m and a horizontal underb