Hamburg Is Replacing a Bridge In One Huge Piece (tagesschau.de)
- Reference: 0184797858
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/08/01/0618234/hamburg-is-replacing-a-bridge-in-one-huge-piece
- Source link: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/hamburg/sternbruecke-in-hamburg-altona-transport-hat-begonnen,sternbruecke-162.html
> The northern German City of Hamburg is currently in the process of replacing one of [2]its bridges in one single gigantic piece. The new replacement weighs 3700 metric tons and was carefully moved [3]into place over a stretch of 500 meters, requiring extreme patience and precision maneuvering. Some places leave only 40 cm of room to neighbouring buildings.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~Qbertino
[2] https://www.eisenbahnbruecken-ehm.de/sternbruecke.html
[3] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/hamburg/neue-sternbruecke-in-hamburg-spektakulaerer-transport-bis-in-die-nacht,sternbruecke-162.html
Meanwhile, in the United States (Score:2)
It takes two years to replace a sixty foot bridge and cut down some stream banks to make things look purdy. And only at the low, low cost of millions of dollars.
Re: (Score:2)
This German bridge costs millions of dollars too. And the speed with which it will be installed belies the time and money spent building it prefab, and in preparation for the install. Definitely an engineering feat to do the actual building in just six months, and install in four days without major disruptions.
The US builds interstate bridges in a similar way, to minimize disruption. Certainly costs more than traditional, in-place bridge construction.
Re: (Score:2)
Meant to say "interstate overpasses."
meh. (Score:1)
IIRC that method was used from at least 1950s. Precision matters, but control is simple because it is by hydraullic jacks pushing the new frame very slowly. 500m could have been of note if it was a single span while pushed, no intermediate supports, but it was not.
Chinese (well, actually DE and NL on CN soil) achived much more spectacular results.
Re:meh. (Score:4, Informative)
Uh no.
The bridge was rolled the 500 meters to it's destination on 1044 wheels.
At the end hydraulic jacks were used to lift it the 6 meters (20 feet) to rest on the designated supports.
As such not unusual but here is was in a densely populated city and on roads that during the transport had to be reinforces with heavy steel plates to protect the underlying pipes and cables.
Re: (Score:1)
well, in past 15 years about all old railroad-carrying bridges in Moscow, RF were replaced by this exact technique. Dense city, paying attention to what's underneath because a city is 3D and all.
This is not in any way impressive. It's business as usual: well-known, well-practiced method that most boneheaded drunk contractors from philipines can still get right and not even remember it. The last part of not remembering is what you as engineer in charge of project is hired to do. Shit'd gotta work no matter w
Web page translation is handy... (Score:2)
But I wish they also offered audio translation on embedded videos. Regardless, it was interesting to read about and watch.
English-language sources (Score:2)
[1]https://ney.partners/project/b... [ney.partners]
[2]https://whysogermany.com/news/... [whysogermany.com]
Not sure if they contain as much info as the original sources, but they're much easier to read for most Slashdotters.
[1] https://ney.partners/project/bridge-sternbrucke/
[2] https://whysogermany.com/news/old-sternbrucke-bridge-dismantling-continues-in-hamburg-amidst-delays/
Standard practice for a while now (Score:3)
Yes, this has been standard practice for a while now, especially for rail and highway bridges over busy routes, not really a novelty anymore despite the press coverage.
How it works
The new bridge is fully built off-site, nearby, then moved into place using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), hydraulically steered multi-axle platforms, often within a single night closure. This cuts actual line closure from months down to a weekend or one night, since construction happens in parallel with ongoing traffic.
Why it's become standard
Far less traffic disruption than build-in-place
Better quality control off-site
Cheaper overall despite transport logistics, since closure costs (detours, lost economic activity, rail replacement buses) are usually the biggest expense
Regional examples
Germany's done this repeatedly on A1, A7, and other busy motorways as part of its bridge modernization program. Luxembourg/France/Belgium border regions have seen comparable push-in or slide-in operations for motorway or rail bridges. It's become the preferred method Europe-wide for major infrastructure when space allows.
What's actually notable about the Sternbrücke
Not the method, the scale: 3,700 tons over 500 meters is near the upper limit of what's been moved this way, likely one of the heaviest/longest such transports in Germany. The "spectacular" framing is about weight and distance, not novelty of technique.
Remember: Measure once, cut twice. (Score:2)
Wait, what do you mean that's wrong?
Wha?!? (Score:1)
I cut it three times and it STILL was too short!