Overview

• On June 4, crews shifted a 500-metre-long, 72-metre-high, 40,000-ton segment into its final position at the Rinsdorf valley on the A45.
• The lateral move covered 20.59 metres over about 20 hours using 24 hydraulic jacks and Teflon sliding plates to minimize friction.
• Traffic continued on the adjacent half of the new bridge throughout the operation, avoiding the prolonged closures seen at other sites like Talbrücke Rahmede.
• Work on the Rinsdorf valley bridge began eight years ago, with one new half built first, the old span demolished, and this final piece now connected.
• Autobahn GmbH and the Federal Transport Ministry view the technique as a potential blueprint for replacing more than 60 aging bridges along the A45 corridor.