Moriah Bridges Self Launching Bridge Erection
Location: Israel
Client: Solel Boneh
Timeframe: Design completed in 2004, construction of the last of three bridges completed in 2006.
Key Staff: Robbie Fraser
Awards:
This 110 m long self-launching erection gantry was designed to erect three multi-span precast segmental concrete box girder bridges using the balanced cantilever method of construction. The gantry was capable of erecting segments weighing up to 85 tonnes, spans as long as 75 m, longitudinal bridge slopes up to 6% and cross slopes that can range from a 2% crown to 4% super elevation. As an added complication, the gantry was designed with the ability to launch itself around a horizontal curve with a radius as tight as 600 meters.
This innovative and complex design won the 2007 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence. The final design resulted in significant savings on steel weight and therefore reduced costs as well as construction loads on the partially constructed bridge.
