34 girders precisely positioned for new southern Schinkelbrug

The weekend of 14 and 15 February brought several challenges. Two enormous telescopic cranes first had to be positioned on an ageing viaduct. Working in close coordination, they then lifted 34 concrete girders – each weighing around 75 tonnes – into place over distances of several dozen metres. Each girder was suspended between two cranes, one on either side. Meanwhile, strong winds and snowfall made working conditions far from easy. Despite these challenges, construction consortium TriAX (Besix, Dura Vermeer and Heijmans) successfully completed the operation as planned.

The prefabricated girders previously travelled by water from Friesland to the Port of Amsterdam. From there, they were transported by trailer along the A10 to the Schinkelbrug. Installing a standard 40-metre girder took approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The edge girders – which are larger and require additional fixings – took slightly longer.

Precise coordination between the two cranes was essential. If the cranes move out of sync, the load is no longer evenly distributed and the lift becomes unstable. Every movement, however small, must be exact. To install the southernmost girders of the new ‘bridge 9’, the cranes had to span some 33 metres. The lifts were carried out in a controlled and steady manner.

At around 17.00 on Sunday, while dismantling the cranes, a code yellow weather warning briefly threatened to disrupt the schedule. Sudden snowfall created slippery conditions and patches of ice. Rijkswaterstaat deployed a snowplough and the road was gritted several times. The A10 Zuid reopened earlier than planned at 03.30 on Monday morning.