Bridge installations working together in Hamburg

Space in the centre of Hamburg is at a premium. Photo: Cometto

A trio of German lifting and transport companies worked together to install nine railway bridges in Hamburg, Germany.

Hüffermann Krandienst, Eisele and Thömen Spedition installed the steel structures at Ferdinandstor in the city centre over just a few days. Each one weighed 120 tonnes.

All about angles: bringing in one of the shorter steel bridge sections. Photo: Cometto

They were moved and installed using self propelled modular transporter from Cometto carrying jack up gantry equipment from Enerpac and assisted by seven wheeled mobile cranes.

“Our team’s task is to install nine railway bridges using our Jack-Up and SPMT technology,” explained Rocco Schimmel, head of crane service, heavy installation and project engineering at Eisele. “Since the available space is extremely tight, we first store the bridges in the roundabouts on the outer Alster side and then move them in with pinpoint accuracy when required.”

Restricted area

Space, or lack of it, was an issue for the SPMT. A pair of parallel-coupled six and 4 axle line SPMT modules with a power pack unit (PPU) were each combined with Enerpac JS250 jack-up systems. It allowed the bridges to be installed at an angle of as much as 43 degrees, also taking into account a slope of 8 per cent in the driving direction and 3 per cent sideways.

“What is especially challenging is that we have to place the bridges on the SPMTs at a 45- or 25-degree angle, with only very narrow tolerances within the travel paths inside the bridge channel,” Schimmel explained.

A third module of SPMT was used to bring the bridge sections from storage to the installation location.

One of seven cranes used on the project loading the SPMT onto the lowered JS250 jacking system on the SPMT modules, and all at an angle. Photo: Cometto

Less time

“The bridges have to be levelled to the centimetre – and that works perfectly. We can lift them to the millimetre – fantastic!” enthused Schimmel.

Instead of five days for the installation, efficient teamwork and reliable equipment allowed it to be cut to three.

“The fact that we managed to install the bridges so quickly, precisely and safely is something Cometto, Eisele and Thömen can be truly proud of,” Schimmel concluded.

Watch a video of the job.