Skip to main content

VIDEO - Bridge demolition going wrong

June 17, 2015
A bridge demolition job went spectacularly wrong in Finland recently. Luckily for all concerned, there were no casualties, but it could have quite easily been a different story. A demolition contractor was using an excavator fitted with a hydraulic breaker to break up the structure, but the work was carrying on despite live traffic flowing on the road under the bridge.

Note too the behaviour of drivers on the route after the initial collapse.

This video came just as the European Demolition Association headed to Finland’s capital Helsinki to discuss best practice.

The Viitostiellä Mikkelissä bridge collapsed following a few blows from a hydraulic hammer to the deck, suggesting the structure was in a very poor condition indeed.

Related Content

  • Indeco adds demolition sorting grab range
    April 17, 2012
    Indeco has added a full range of demolition sorting grabs to its product line-up. The company started out in 1976 making breakers and has continued to add new types of attachment as operators increasingly look to use specific equipment for each application to cut times and costs. “Hammers still represent our core business but dealers have been asking for a wider range of Indeco demolition attachments to serve customers,” said commercial director Michele Vitulano, who is the son of the company’s founder.
  • Securing safer transportation infrastructure through non-destructive technology
    June 16, 2014
    Kevin Vine reports on the use of non-destructive testing for structural analysis of bridges Seven years ago, the overpass collapse in Laval, Québec that led to the death of five people brought to light severe issues with the state of the country’s bridges and transportation infrastructure. More recently, a crack in the Champlain Bridge to Montreal that forced over 160,000 commuters to find alternate routes to work reaffirmed a need for greater emphasis on early detection before a crisis occurs.
  • Advanced method for South Africa bridge construction
    May 16, 2016
    A sophisticated construction method has been used for the first time in South Africa for a suspended bridge project This novel method of bridge construction was used on a major road upgrade project for the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL). Main contractor Lonerock Construction, and subcontractor Tzandeboo Construction, used RMD Kwikform’s Megatruss system to construct a 60m-long bridge while suspended mid-air over the live N4 highway. Lonerock Construction’s US$8.5 million (R132
  • Novel demolition machines
    May 9, 2023
    The market for ruggedised demolition excavators has very specific requirements, with three new models now available – Mike Woof writes