WATCH | Liebherr cranes execute tandem lift for German bridge

Commissioned by the Karlsruhe Regional Council, the bridge uses an extradosed design by combining elements of cable-stayed and prestressed

concrete construction with continuous steel plates fastened to the underside of the two carriageway decks using thousands of anchor bolts.

Rather than welding the plates section by section on the bridge, Wiesbauer assembled the units on the ground in complete elements, producing loads of up to 70 tonnes per plate (rising to between 85 and 102 tonnes with lifting accessories) before hoisting them to a height of 65 metres using a Liebherr LR 1700-1.0 crawler crane and a Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane.

The LR 1700-1.0 was configured with a 132-metre main boom, 12-metre fixed jib and up to 375 tonnes of ballast. The LTM 1650-8.1 ran with Y-guying, 155 tonnes of ballast, a 16-metre telescopic extension, and a 38.5-metre luffing jib. The crawler crane was positioned in the centre of the valley to handle the heaviest lifts independently; for positions at larger radii the two cranes worked in tandem, with the working radius of the LR 1700-1.0 reaching up to 96 metres.

The site added further complexity: a narrow valley with the Neckar to the north and a railway line to the south meant all crane components required transport on 8-axle low-loaders to negotiate the winding access roads to the valley floor.

The full bridge project is expected to wrap and open to traffic in 2028.

A pair of Liebherr cranes lift key elements for the Horb bridge in Germany. Photos: Liebherr

Construction of the Hochbrücke Horb in Germany

A Liebherr LR 1700-1.0 works the site

Construction of the Hochbrücke Horb pictured in October 2025. The major bridge and roadway project is expected to finish in 2028.