Largest tensile force
The renovation of the 40 years old suspension bridge over the Waal river, was necessary due to the increased traffic weight and intensity of the A50. This led to premature fatigue of the steel deck. The four suspension cables, with the largest tensile force in the world, where successfully in succession replaced. This remarkable operation, without extra support of the deck, had not been done before. In preparation the joint venture of Royal HaskoningDHV and Arup executed a detailed step-by-step computer simulation, which enabled a safe replacement of the cables. In addition, all bearings were replaced by the strongest compression-tension bearings in the world, the bridge was raised 1,2 m and a new coating applied on the inside and outside. In the last phase the High Strength Concrete overlay was applied to the deck, which solved the steel decks’ fatigue.
“ The large dimensions and the associated forces in the cables make this an extraordinary project compared to Dutch standards. The replacement of the suspension cables of this type of bridge, whilst carrying the full weight of the deck makes this a truly unique operation in the world. In preparation we used international expertise and research, such as wind tunnel testing in Italy and fatigue testing in the USA. ” Sabine DelrueBusiness leader Infrastructure, Arup, the Netherlands