Sacyr News Innovation to bring a 19th-century bridge into the 21st century
  • Infrastructures

Innovation to bring a 19th-century bridge into the 21st century

Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure is developing a unique and innovative project in Chile: a 1.8-kilometer bridge in the Biobío Region that will replace the current one from 1889. We have created a "beam launcher" for more efficient installation of the 62 beams that make up the infrastructure.

We are building the New Railway Bridge that will connect the communes of Concepción and San Pedro de la Paz in the Biobío region (Chile). A complex project requiring an investment of 174 million euros, in which we apply innovation to improve passenger transport and meet the demand of local agricultural and forestry activities.

One of the main works of this contract is the 1,883-meter long two-track ballasted bridge, which will replace the current one dating from 1889.

To construct the bridge, our colleagues at Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure have created a structure called a "beam launcher," which innovates in this type of project in Chile.

Our construction company already has experience in these innovative solutions, having implemented a similar one at the Pamplona-Cúcuta highway project in Colombia.

1.8 km

long

334

pilons

62

beams

An innovative structure

The "beam launcher" was conceived by the head of the Structures Department, Rafael Guillén Carmona, who leads the work team. It consists of three portals and a 92-meter long truss, designed for the placement of metal boxes and pre-slabs, with a lifting capacity of 140 tons over the riverbed. This speeds up the process of installing the 62 bridge beams.

Currently, the project has 300 piles installed, out of a total of 334. The physical progress of the bridge is 46%.

"We were able to launch over the river platform, which will allow us to work at the level of the bridge elevation. When we remove the work platform in the winter, we will be able to continue with the beam assembly," says the project's contract manager, Francisco Monsalve Melo.

In addition to the bridge, the project includes the construction of a new tunnel through Cerro Chepe, which will have two railway tracks and a length of 327 meters." 

  • Bridges
  • Raiway infrastructures
  • Chile
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