Spectacular Milestone at Rader Viaduct

A special moment at the replacement project of Rader Viaduct: In mid-July, the 118-metre-long and 1250-tonne-heavy centre segment of the bridge has successfully been assembled over the Kiel Canal and brought into its final position. This closes the last large gap in the steel superstructure of the first partial structure – another important milestone towards completion of the motorway A7 bridge.

The assembly of the centre segment required precisely coordinated logistical and engineering performance. First, the 1250-tonne heavy, 18.8-metre wide and 6.30-metre-high segment was placed on a pontoon at Rendsburg port. Then the 8-km route began over the Kiel Canal to the assembly point where the pontoon was manoeuvred by the millimetre and kept in position by mooring ropes.

After the exact positioning, the most spectacular part of the works followed: The centre segment was slowly lifted by strand jacks and positioned between the already completed bridge parts.

This assembly marks another highlight for construction execution and impressively shows the dimensions of the project. The new Rader Viaduct will carry motorway A7 over the Kiel Canal and Borgstedter Lake. With a total length of 1,500 metres and a main span width of 224 metres, one of the most significant bridge construction projects in Germany is being implemented.

SSF Ingenieure as part of an engineering joint venture signs responsible for design of the replacement structure. After successful assembly of the centre segment, completion of the first partial structure is getting another step closer.