Road Structures

Two MDT 128 topless cranes from Potain are said to be playing a crucial role in the construction of the Hardanger Bridge in Norway - set to be one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. The 6tonne cranes are placing suspension cables, and making other lifts, at the top of one of the bridge’s pylons, where working heights exceed 200metres. The cranes are owned by Ajos, a leading crane rental company and the Potain dealer for Denmark. Ajos supplied the cranes to MT Hojgaard, one of the largest cont

A massive construction project has been underway deep in the heart of the Schnecktal valley area in Germany. From the surface, though, you would never be able to tell. The majority of the work is underground, as a joint-venture team led by German contractor Wayss and Freytag Ingenieurbau builds the nearly 7km long Finne Tunnel. After a few years of tunnel boring operations, the contractor is at work finishing the interior of the tunnel, slipforming first the tunnel’s floor and then a walkway with its GOMACO

New technologies are coming to market with regard to driving and supporting tunnels, with drilling and blasting and accompanying shotcreating technologies being widely used worldwide. Drilling and blasting can be a cost-effective method in the right conditions and in this segment Atlas Copco and Sandvik hold major market shares worldwide, although other firms such as Furukawa and Montabert also compete. Shotcreting equipment is widely used following after drilling and blasting, with CIFA broadening its rang

Infrastructure investment means that the road tunnel construction sector is healthy due to demand for new links – Mike Woof reports With many emergent nations investing heavily in infrastructure, the tunnelling sector is seeing extensive business at present. Tunnels provide key links in mountainous areas or in congested cities where building roads on the surface may not be practical. In Asia and Latin America, many key road connections are now being built underground to pass challenging terrain or provide

Sateco says its new detensioning spacer unit being showcased at this month Intermat 2012 event in Paris is a world first for the construction industry. The product is fitted with a side nut that acts as a valve, releasing the force acting on the formwork rod after concrete has dried. When the side nut is manoeuvred, the detensioning spacer unit is moved, thus releasing the pressure acting on the main nut. The main nut is then easier to unscrew, allowing faster and less strenuous form removal. Product design

RMD Kwikform has supplied its 80kN Rapidshor shoring for the widening of the Tolo Highway, running between the Island House Interchange and Tai Hang in Hong Kong. The project, overseen by main contractor Gammon Construction and set to be completed by the end of 2013, will widen the Tolo Highway from a two to four-lane carriageway in each direction, alleviating traffic congestion. “We were approached by [project] sub-contractors, United Soundfair and Richwell Engineering to supply shoring and formwork suppor

New and highly regarded existing formwork systems have been used in major recent transport-related construction projects across the globe. Guy Woodford looks at some of their applications The multi-million dollar Mississippi River Bridge project in the United State is creating a vital new gateway between Illinois and Missouri. Central to the project is the realignment and reconstruction of Interstate 70 and a new landmark bridge, featuring two pylons projecting vertically from the Mississippi river bed w