Road widening means bridge demolition

Two heavy Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers have been used to demolish a bridge on the A40 autobahn at Junction 28 in Gelsenkirchen-Süd, Germany. The bridge was used to carry the four lanes of the A40 over the B277 main road. As the key route in the Ruhr district, the A40 is being widened to incorporate six lanes, so the old bridge needed to be demolished.
February 24, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Two heavy 161 Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers have been used to demolish a bridge on the A40 autobahn at Junction 28 in Gelsenkirchen-Süd, Germany. The bridge was used to carry the four lanes of the A40 over the B277 main road. As the key route in the Ruhr district, the A40 is being widened to incorporate six lanes, so the old bridge needed to be demolished.

Viersen-based Prangenberg & Zaum had only two days to complete the demolition, commissioned by 945 Strabag. The contractor has a number of Atlas Copco breakers in its fleet and opted to use heavy-duty hammers from the firm for the demolition work, a 7tonne HB7000, a 5.8tonne HB5800 and a 2.5tonne HB2500. Using these tools the solid reinforced concrete bridge and bridge heads were removed in about 32 hours. A pulveriser crushed the demolition waste while it was still on site and the waste was then transferred to Prangenberg & Zaum's recycling station for further processing. The total volume of the demolition project was 2,300m3 of concrete with steel reinforcement and the breakers performed reliably while carrying out the work.

The A40 runs from Straelen on the Dutch border, over the Rhine and across the Ruhr region to Dortmund and is the main arterial road in the Ruhr. Around 120,000 vehicles/day travel around the city of Bochum at peak times, meaning the A40 carries the heaviest traffic in the Ruhr region.

Work on gradually widening the motorway to six lanes was begun in 2010 and should be completed in 2012.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Key highway bridge project planned in Germany
    June 29, 2017
    A new bridge is planned for the busy A40 Autobahn route, which will be constructed at a busy intersection close to Duisburg.
    Read More
  • Wirtgen machines help with road recycling in Italy
    March 18, 2016
    One of the first Wirtgen W 200 Hi cold milling machines off the assembly line is now being used for road recyling work in southern Europe. The versatility of the machine due to its novel 400mm offset drum capability has proven extremely useful for the contractor in Italy. Tuscany–based Endi Asfalti is now using the large and highly productive W 200 Hi for a wide range of milling jobs that would previously have been carried out using a combination of large and small milling machines. The proven W 200 milling
    Read More
  • Australia road widening project in Queensland
    November 3, 2017
    The preparatory work is underway for a stretch of the Ipswich Motorway widening project in Queensland Australia. The project is worth around US$318.6 million (A$400 million). This first section of the widening work is 3km long and runs from Granard Road at Rocklea to the Oxley roundabout. The work involves widening the route from four lanes at present to six lanes and improving seven bridges, which includes increasing the height of the bridge over Oxley Creek. The 10km widening project is intended to reduce
    Read More
  • New Angolan bridge offers improved connectivity
    September 30, 2013
    Drivers in Angola are benefiting from a bridge that spans the Catumbela River, taking the place of an old structure that had proven not fit for purpose. The US$35 million cable stayed bridge is located in the highway between Benguela and Lobito, around 7km from Angola’s Atlantic coast and is one of a series of new infrastructure developments in the country. Angola suffered a long period of war that impacted on its people and infrastructure. The war resulted in severe damage to the country’s road system alon
    Read More

Highlighted Content