Design and construction staging of a 300m steel bridge renovation

Two steel tied arch bridges are a part of the Van Brienenoord Bridge (VBB}. They carry the A16 highway, a vital part infrastructure near the port of Rotterdam. The west arch has been suffering from fatigue in the orthotropic deck and the main load carrying structure required strengthening.

A renovation outside traffic on a yard was proposed, benefiting achievable quality, H&S and hindrance. The main objectives where: maximizing remaining service life while re-using the maximum amount of existing steel. This was achieved by a combination of extensive analysis on describing locked-in stress, advanced FE analysis (GMNIA} and testing of existing material. After renovation the western VBB is able to withstand all design loads for another 100 years, while re- using 3200 ton of steel in the highest form. Arup and RHDHV work in a joint venture, the Managing Contractor, on the renovation of steel bridges for Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch highway authority}.