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

  • Long life asphalt paving reduces maintenance
    April 11, 2012
    Contractor FM Conway is working on a three year contract with Dover Harbour Board to reconstruct and resurface busy access routes and large vehicle parks within the port. One of the major factors for this contract being awarded was the company's strong green credentials. The contract is based around small and large individual paving projects within the Eastern Docks, which can range in time scales from three weeks to six months. The first phase of work, which started in early May, was to fully reconstruct
    Read More
  • Long life asphalt paving reduces maintenance
    May 8, 2012
    Contractor FM Conway is working on a three year contract with Dover Harbour Board to reconstruct and resurface busy access routes and large vehicle parks within the port. One of the major factors for this contract being awarded was the company's strong green credentials. The contract is based around small and large individual paving projects within the Eastern Docks, which can range in time scales from three weeks to six months. The first phase of work, which started in early May, was to fully reconstruct
    Read More
  • Stockholm’s new bypass
    March 8, 2021
    Tunnels make up 18km of the 21km of the Swedish capital’s E4 Bypass mega-project. It will have taken 15 years from start to opening in 2030, if all goes well
    Read More
  • Regensburg road revamp will widen key stretch
    February 14, 2018
    Work is now commencing on widening a stretch of the A3 Autobahn where it passes through the Bavarian city of Regensburg. The 15km section of the A3 will be widened from its present two lanes to three lanes. The project is costing €270 million and will be carried out on the section from the junction between the A3 and B8 at Rosenhof to the east of Regensburg and running 15km westwards, past the junction with the A93 Autobahn route that connects with the A9 and Munich to the south. This work is needed as the
    Read More

Highlighted Content