Danube River Bridge project
showcases the power of Doka as a single source for supporting complex
construction
The contribution Doka, a
global leader in formwork and scaffolding, has made to the one-of-a-kind Danube
River Bridge project in the Austrian city of Linz demonstrates the added value
teaming with a single source can bring to complex construction projects. As the
bridge, which represents the first construction phase of the A26 motorway,
nears completion, the innovative Doka products, including formwork,
scaffolding, and digital solutions, have enabled streamlined operations, secure
working environments and cost-effective budget management.
The challenge was to create
a seemingly floating bridge connecting two sides of the Danube River in a
visually sensitive manner. Unlike traditional suspension bridges, the
constructor’s mandate was to build the bridge without visible intermediate
support structures. This required large clusters of load-bearing cables to be
stretched between anchorages above the connecting tunnel bypasses on either
side of the water. With the support cables anchored directly into the rock of
each riverbank, the first suspended bridge in Austria, weighing in at 13,000
tonnes, reveals unexpected elegance and grace.
The flexible Doka Ringlock
scaffold was used for subsequent corrosion protection and assembly work on the
tensioned suspension cables. The team harnessed the Ringlock flexibility to
form a suspended scaffolding that supported construction work on the tensioned
suspension cables ahead of the subsequent carriageway construction. A team of
expert engineers from Doka Austria was responsible for planning the suspended
scaffolding solution and optimizing the versatile Ringlock modular scaffolding
to meet the distinctive requirements of the project. While a unique form was
created, the suspended scaffolding used standard components of the rental
system to deliver material, cost and time savings while simultaneously ensuring
the site safety of construction personnel.
The overall construction
necessitated on-site auxiliary and suspension ropes, in addition to suspension
girders, which joined with the suspension ropes. Günther Keuschnig, Managing
Director of Joint Venture A26 Danube Bridge (ICM-MAEAG-F-PILE), says: "The
flexibility of the Ringlock scaffolding system was the ideal answer to our
demanding requirements, such as covering very challenging geometries."
The Ringlock scaffolding
complemented the activity already undertaken by Doka on the critical project.
In 2022, Doka was responsible for making customized formwork that created some
two anchor blocks with max. 120 anchors each that hold the cables and, in turn,
extend up to 70 m into the rock of the riverbank. To meet the demanding
strength needed to support the cables, more than 3,650 m³ of concrete were
poured. One single pour of 450 m³ of concrete required the use of the
innovative digital solution Concremote, which uses sensors to continuously
monitor the temperature of the concrete during curing. This knowledge allowed the
cooling water systems to be activated at the right time to reduce temperature
stresses that can lead to cracking and ensure the integrity of the concrete
strength.
“For this high-profile
infrastructure project, it is clear that the whole of our contribution is
greater than the sum of the individual elements. We are proud to have provided
three essential components to this project. As a single source for formwork,
scaffolding and digital solutions we can enhance our contribution to an
efficient, safe, and streamlined construction process. At the same time, we
have demonstrated our technical expertise in the field of scaffolding
solutions. With the A26 Danube River Bridge, we have proven our value to
high-quality constructors and look forward to supporting more complex
construction projects in the future”, says
Harald Zulehner, CEO of Doka Austria.
The resulting
300-meter-long and 22.5-meter-wide single-span suspension bridge is scheduled
to welcome its first vehicle crossings in mid-2024. It will dramatically
improve transport routes and relieve Linz of 20,000 vehicles per day.
In
short:
Project:
A26 Danube River Bridge
Structure:
Single-span suspension bridge
Location:
Linz, Austria
Scope
of work: Suspended scaffolding for subsequent work on the
bridge's suspension cables Project duration: 12 months
Completion:
Summer 2024
Construction:
Joint Venture A26 Danube Bridge
Systems used: Doka Ringlock modular scaffolding