Skip to main content

48 hours re-opening

Using demolition tools from Atlas Copco helped to maximise productivity on a highly time-sensitive project in Germany. The A3 autobahn runs from the Dutch/German border through the western part of the Ruhr area, the Cologne area, the Rhine-Main area and Bavaria down to the Austrian border at Stuben. It is one of the most heavily used highways in Germany and because of increasing traffic volumes, widening the road to six lanes has become necessary.
July 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Using Atlas Copco demolition attachments helped the fast removal of an old bridge over a busy German autobahn in a strict timeframe
Using demolition tools from 161 Atlas Copco helped to maximise productivity on a highly time-sensitive project in Germany. The A3 autobahn runs from the Dutch/German border through the western part of the Ruhr area, the Cologne area, the Rhine-Main area and Bavaria down to the Austrian border at Stuben. It is one of the most heavily used highways in Germany and because of increasing traffic volumes, widening the road to six lanes has become necessary.

Near Randersacker an old bridge crossing the river Main built in 1964 was demolished using explosives and a new wider one was erected just 3m away. This new bridge is already in use.

After the 540m long Main bridge was blown up, the B13 underneath the bridge was to be re-opened to traffic in just 48 hours. This required some 1,500m3 of reinforced concrete which collapsed on this particular section of the B13 to be crushed and another 800m3 of a layer provided to protect the top surface of the road to be removed. Across the entire length of the former pre-stressed steel bridge, a total of 25,000m3 of reinforced concrete had to be taken care of.

Eight Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers with service weights from 1.2-7tonnes were used for the job by the contractor Ruppert KG Erdbau + Abbruch while six hydraulic pulverisers were used to crush the bridge fragments on the spot. Part of the bridge could not be demolished using explosives and was instead cut down using Atlas Copco CC 2500 U and CC 3300 U CombiCutters mounted on 718 Liebherr R954 and R974 long reach excavators. The B13 was already cleared after just 36 hours, so that the Federal road could be opened to traffic much earlier than scheduled.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Meva’s Mammut 350 formwork makes the difference for Neckar viaduct
    April 19, 2018
    Formwork specialist Meva is helping replace the longest motorway bridge, the Neckar River viaduct in Germany’s south-west state Baden-Wuerttemberg Work on the 1.3km Neckar viaduct, part of the A6 motorway at Heilbronn, should be finished by 2022. It is part of the A6 expansion project between the Weinberger junction and Wiesloch/Rauenberg. The project is officially the new Neckar viaduct BAB 6 at Heilbronn. Federal Motorway 6, the A6, is also known as the BAB 6. The 477km motorway starts at the French b
  • Tunnel Boom in Central and Eastern Europe
    September 15, 2015
    Following the success of the 41st World Tunnel Congress held in Croatia last May, World Highways looks at two signi_ cant projects in Slovakia and Serbia – Adriana Potts reports Central and Eastern Europe is buzzing with a number of major projects being developed - including highways, bridges and tunnels – and with many more in the pipeline. The region is expected to be highly active with plans for developing infrastructure in the next two decades, according to Davorin Koli , president of the Croatian
  • Colorado river bridge relieves congestion
    February 7, 2012
    Built in the shadow of the Hoover Dam, a new bridge is set to takes its place as another major tourist attraction. Patrick Smith reports
  • Bolivia’s new highway
    October 10, 2017
    Bolivia’s new highway will provide better access into mountain areas – Mauro Nogarin writes At the beginning of 2015, work began on the construction and paving for the Tupiza - Atocha - Uyuni highway project. The route is located in Bolivia’s Potosí department: it is 189m in length and forms part of the Southwest Basic Road Network (RVF) of Bolivia.