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Efficient bridge replacement for the ASTRA in Bursins (VD) with SPMT

Impressive heavy-duty technology in use

As part of a challenging infrastructure project, EMIL EGGER was able to make a key contribution to the replacement of an overpass over the A1 highway between Lausanne and Geneva. The client was the Federal Roads Office FEDRO, in collaboration with Implenia Schweiz AG as the master builder.
emil-egger-spmt-verschub–2

The project was characterized by complex heavy-duty logistics, short time frames and precise coordination – with minimal disruption to traffic on the national road.

Two-part execution – two bridges, two stages

Stage 1
In a night-time operation, a 200-ton auxiliary bridge was removed in an elevated position.
Two self-propelled transport vehicles, each with 12 axle lines (SPMT Self-Propelled Modular Transporter), were used for this. The bridge was then lowered to the ground using a 350-tonne and a 300-tonne pneumatic crane and later dismantled using a 100-tonne crane.

Stage 2 (four months later)
The new UHPC bridge (ultra-high-performance concrete), weighing around 400 tons, was constructed on a falsework in an elevated position. It was then moved by 2 x 12 axle lines next to the highway, where it was moved precisely to its final position during the night. The lift to the final position was carried out using a 4-point jack-up system (hydraulic lifting system), in which each unit can carry a load of up to 250 tons.

Equipment & engineering

State-of-the-art heavy-duty equipment was used to carry out this work:

  • 4 x 6-axis line sets SPMT with 2 power packs
  • 4 jack-up units with a lifting capacity of 250 tons each
  • Tire cranes with lifting capacities of 300-350 tons
  • Auxiliary cranes up to 100 tons
  • Heavy-duty towers (up to 150 t per tower)
  • Load distribution plates to protect the substrate
  • Engineering & project coordination by EMIL EGGER

Special features

  • Extremely short closure times: The main work took place when the highway was fully closed – with time windows of less than 4 hours for the core processes.
  • Precise process planning: Every work step had to be meticulously planned and coordinated – from the positioning of the lifting systems to the coordination of the cranes and SPMT.
  • Suitable for working underneath pipes: The system is particularly well proven in a narrow construction area under existing pipes.

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