Mega-lift highlights huge Dutch bridge renewal programme

As the Netherlands grapples with the costly renewal of ageing bridges and tunnels, a 400-tonne lift at a movable bridge has illustrated the scale of the engineering work being undertaken to extend the life of national infrastructure that is crucial to transport operators. Two floating cranes placed the two-storey structure on the Papendrechtsebrug, spanning the Beneden-Merwede river. The building houses new systems for operating, controlling and monitoring the bridge’s movable section.

The installation was carried out by contractor consortium Mobilis Croonwolter&dros, which adopted a ‘plug-and-play’ approach, completing and testing the building’s technical installations before its transport to the bridge.

After being assembled on a pontoon at the yard of local contractor Gebr. De Koning, it was towed to the bridge, where installation required the lifting team to work around tidal conditions, commercial river traffic and a busy local ferry service.

The lift was commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch government agency responsible for national road and waterway infrastructure, as part of the wider renovation of the bridge. The existing machinery chamber lacked sufficient space for modern control systems, while safety, cybersecurity and fire protection requirements have also evolved since the bridge was built in 1967.

This story was originally published by Project Cargo Journal. Read the full story at Project Cargo Journal →