Expansion of the A7: Deconstruction of Langenfeld Bridge

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That's why the A7 has been undergoing expansion and reconstruction since June 2014: The four- and six-lane highway sections in Hamburg's northwest are each being widened by two lanes. Furthermore, three tunnel structures in the Hamburg districts of Schnelsen, Stellingen and Altona are to provide comprehensive noise protection and enable a higher quality of life for residents.

Langenfeld Bridge

The demolition and new construction of the Langenfelder Bridge in the course of the A7 between the Hamburg-Stellingen and Volkspark freeway junctions is a highly challenging technical task. The existing bridge structure, dating from the 1970s, is in a state of disrepair and is not sufficiently wide or load-bearing for the eight-lane expansion and noise protection. Therefore, a complete replacement structure is required. The twin structure will be demolished over a period of about four years and then rebuilt, with noise barriers.

The Langenfeld Bridge spans not only roads but also railroad tracks. Both the demolition and the new construction of the bridge are being carried out while traffic is still moving - on the bridge and underneath it. Maintaining eight-track mainline and commuter rail traffic poses a particular challenge.

The demolition of the nearly 400-m-long bridge is taking place in several sections. First, the eastern replacement structure will be built, followed by the western one. The bridge was first lightened of its superstructures and the southern bridge section with approx. 195 m conventionally, with heavy equipment, demolished. The remaining bridge section with approx. 205 m over all tracks and roads was first hydraulically lifted by the TEUPE company by approx. 50 cm and then pushed out with the help of hydraulic presses. For this purpose, the bridge superstructure was supported on eleven temporary structural steel supports and 28 sliding bearings. Following the installation of approx. 850 t of temporary structural steel supports in February and March 2015, the so-called push-out of the east bridge superstructure was successfully started in April 2015. The demolition of the superstructure took place behind the northern abutment on the closed lane of the freeway. After deconstruction of the superstructure, the bridge piers were demolished and a new structure was built at the same location.

Scope of Work TEUPE

The TEUPE company was contracted to provide the shoring, lifting and excavation of the bridge structure. The bridge, weighing 10,000 tons, had to be shifted over a total distance of approximately 220 m. Shifting cycles of up to 16.50 m per day were used for this.

The process is technically very complex and demanding and was carried out in this way for the first time in Germany. Particularly worth mentioning is the "steering" of the bridge structure, which at the time was constructed on ground-supported formwork with a geometry that transitions from a clothoid to a circular arc. Further, structural inaccuracies in the superstructure from the coupling joints and the cant from the fabrication are worth mentioning. An additional challenge was the load distribution and the load play of the prestressed bridge associated with the shunting operation.

The shunting operations have now been completed. These were successfully carried out under ongoing rail and road traffic on the basis of a safety concept that had been developed and tested with all parties involved.

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