Building bridges with MEVA

Just as diverse as your requirements

Abutments, bridge piers, underpasses

MEVA’s products and services are in demand for the ­construction of bridges all over the world. Here is a small selection of successfully completed projects.

Striking bridge piers in Hungary

In Hungary the last remaining gap on the M6 motorway from Budapest to Osijek in Croatia has now been closed. The centrepiece of the 20 km long section to Ivándárda on the border with Croatia was a viaduct with a unique support structure. The striking bridge piers were built by the Hungarian subsidiary of STRABAG with planning performed by MEVA and the clever combination of standard and special formwork with shoring tower systems and working platforms. The surfaces shine in architectural concrete quality that is very pleasing to the eye.

The formwork planning for the bridge piers, which stand next to each other in pairs and have variably curved surfaces and striking central grooves, was a challenge – not least due to the penetration surfaces and the small radius on the short sides. The facings were doubled up accordingly on several sides.

The three standard systems Radius (for curved walls), Circo (for circular columns) and Mammut 350 (for straight walls) were combined and set up on-site. This ensured that a minimum quantity of special bespoke panels was required. The simple work processes contributed to the economical and rapid construction. As a height of 7 m was poured during each cycle, the concrete for each 14 m high bridge pier was poured in two cycles. Once the concrete poured during the first cycle had hardened, the MT 60 shoring tower system was set up and the working platform installed – for comfortable and safe completion up to the final height.

Railway bridge in Norway

The new Minnevika railway bridge crosses a river at the end of Lake Mjøsa between Oslo and Hamar. MEVA’s partner MAXBO Teknikk performed the 3D formwork planning using the BIM method. This made it easier to exchange the model with the contractor and enabled it to be linked up to the BIM workflow. The construction company PNC Norge performed the concreting work.

The bridge rests on numerous piles and 20 pile caps up to 14 m under the surface of the water. Pier shafts with different heights and a cross section of 18.6 by 6.3 m reach up to the surface. Two oval columns stand on each of these (3.2 x 2.2 m). Efficient formwork planning had to be conducted from the pile caps to the column heads. The challenges included the complex structure and the multiple use of the formwork. Besides special solutions, MEVA’s Mammut 350 wall formwork, Triplex heavy-duty props and the KLK climbing system were used.

Footbridge in Basel

In the district of St. Alban, Marti AG built a footbridge using special formwork from MEVA. Required was the construction of an architecturally attractive, subtly triaxially curved crossing. Not only the people crossing over the bridge, which curves slightly as it crosses the water, but also observers who let their eyes wander beneath the construction are mesmerized by its captivating design.

MEVA Switzerland implemented the planning using 120 m² of special formwork. The architectural concrete required a combination of various smooth surfaces and classic wooden lath style finishes with a visible grain. This was realized according to the principal’s wishes, the planner’s specifications and the template image. “Our workers were able to assemble the special formwork quickly on the building site and the concrete was poured without problem. This testifies to optimum formwork planning on the part of MEVA. We completed the project on schedule and to the satisfaction of our principal,” reports Marti’s construction manager Armin Looser.

Precisely formed in Franconia

GLS Bau und Montage GmbH built a bridge to carry a track over the A9 motorway near Nuremberg in just a single night. The deck and the abutments were created separately using formwork technology as well as 3D planning provided by MEVA in order to create a better understanding of the set-up and processes on the construction site. The 7 m high abutments and wing walls of the U-shaped reinforced concrete construction were realized with minimum use of material and Mammut 350 panels. The bridge deck was poured separately next to the motorway. The MevaFlex slab formwork was installed on the steel support structure using horizontal steel girders and the end faces were formed using Mammut 350. The 900-ton support structure was then set down on the abutments using a heavy-load transporter. Construction manager Florian Brandstätter: “Due to the good planning and the robust systems provided by MEVA, we were able to work with great precision, ensuring that the subsequent steps also ran smoothly.”

Further projects on the subject of bridge construction