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

  • VIDEO: UK overnight bridge demolition job
    May 16, 2016
    A spectacular video shows footage a key bridge demolition job in the UK. The bridge crossing the busy A38 near Plymouth was demolished during a weekend possession on the 14th and 15th of May 2016. The footage has been released by 8100 Highways England and shows the old Merafield Bridge at Plympton being demolished overnight on Saturday 14th May, marking the final stage of a £6.3 million maintenance project on the A38.
  • VIDEO: explosive demolition of Bridge to Long Island in US
    March 24, 2015
    Explosives were used successfully in the US to demolish the Long Island Bridge. The structure formerly provided a connection to Squantum's Long Island, however it had fallen into disrepair and a decision was made to remove the structure. A section of the Long Island Bridge was demolished by a specialist contractor. This saw the implosion of a229m section of the structure connecting with the island.
  • Using breakers to demolish redundant overpass
    December 11, 2015
    A demolition job in California was carried out successfully using a hydraulic breaker fitted to an excavator. An overpass on Highway 91 in Southern California had to be removed, with the contractor opting to use a hydraulic breaker for the job. The work was carried out within the 22-hour possession period set by the local authorities, allowing the route to reopen to traffic on time and minimising transport delays. The work was carried out safely and precisely, due to the use of suitable equipment. The re
  • Concrete mixing technology offers advanced recipes
    February 13, 2012
    Modern concrete production plants are using technology to offer more sophisticated mix recipes as Patrick Smith reports. The growing trend towards ever more sophisticated concrete recipes calls for fully developed mixing technology. Companies are responding to the challenges with equipment that offers new levels of sophistication including computer controls and units that can deliver a huge variety of mix recipes.