Even a sturdy steel bridge can eventually no longer completely fulfil its function and must be replaced by a new one. In 2017, this was the case for the Datteln-Hamm canal bridge in Lünen. After the new bridge had been completed and the foundations put in place, the “bridge exchange” job could start. It goes without saying that, for reasons of safety alone, this project could only be carried out after first interrupting shipping traffic. In order to block the canal for as short a time as possible, one day was set as total timeframe for disassembling the old bridge and installing the new bridge. A real challenge for Bracht employees as well as for the engineers and construction workers involved.

One canal bridge had completed its service

The first step was to lift the existing, 300t steel bridge out of its anchorage and remove it. This task was as usual carried out safely and reliably by our lattice boom crawler crane SL 3800, which is impressively manoeuvrable even under heavy load.
 
A strong trio “weightlessly” transported 350 tonnes

Only a short time later, our AC 1600 mobile crane and the LTM 1500, with its characteristic Y jib stay, were brought into action. A strong trio of cranes thus worked together to “weightlessly” bring the new 350-tonne bridge into place over the foundations on both sides of the canal and then set it down precisely as planned.