Two different types of Liebherr crane were recently used in the construction of a 130-metre pylon for the new Rhine Bridge in Wesel, Germany.

In the final stage of erecting the pylon, the stationary 280 EC-H 16 Litronic tower crane was supported in the lifting work by an LG 1750 lattice-tower mobile crane.

The new Rhine bridge, which has been under construction since 2005, is one of three construction phases for the Wesel by-pass on the B 58n. After completion in 2008, this 772.5-metres long cable-stayed bridge will have four traffic lanes, together with two cycle tracks and a central reservation, said an official spokesman.

This type of bridge was chosen to meet the need for an unsupported span of at least 300 metres wide for shipping on the Rhine. The supporting structure is divided into a pre-stressed concrete foreland bridge 376 metres long on the left bank of the Rhine and a 396-metre steel-construction river bridge.

What grabs the attention, and can be seen from a long way off, is the 130-metre high-strength concrete bridge pylon in the shape of an inverted letter Y on the left bank of the Rhine.

A Liebherr 280 EC-H 16 Litronic tower crane providing a maximum working radius of 70m was erected for the con-struction of the pylon. The tower crane, which comprises the 500 HC tower system mounted on foundation anchor bolts, reaches a maximum under-hook height of 142.4m.

Due to the dimensioning of the 500 HC tower system, this huge under-hook height can be achieved with only one anchorage on the pylon. With a maximum load capacity of 3,100kg at jib end, the tower crane demonstrated a great capacity for handling materials, even when lifting the heaviest formwork units and during the concreting work.- TradeArabia News Service