Denmark’s first cantilevered bridge to be built since 1970, the Crown Princess Mary’s Bridge over the Roskilde Fjord, opened to traffic yesterday three months ahead of schedule.
Celebrating are companies in the RBAI joint venture that won the €133m contract to build it in 2016: Italy’s Rizzani de Eccher, Belgium’s Besix, and Acciona Infraestructuras of Spain.
People of 19 different nationalities worked on the project, which, as well as a 1.4km-long bridge, included an 8.2km four-lane highway, and 11 other civil engineering works including bridges, tunnels and wildlife crossings.
The scheme’s aim was to cut traffic congestion. Previously, the only way over the fjord was via a bascule bridge dating from 1935.
Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary opened it ceremonially on 28 September prior to its opening to vehicles.
A "launching gantry" allowed the precast deck segments to be fitted in fast succession (Besix)
Contractors faced restrictions on what they could do because the area is an EU "Natura 2000" zone – a core breeding and resting site for rare and threatened species.
There were social restrictions, as well, given the locality is a residential and vacation spot: noise, dust and vibrations had to be minimised.
In a notice sent to GCR, Besix said the project was run along "lean" principles, with close collaboration and rigorous feedback mechanisms among the contractors to constantly improve processes, which allowed the early completion.
Innovative methods included a "launching gantry" used to install the bridge deck. This horizontal crane allowed the precast deck segments, produced by by several production lines, to be fitted in fast succession.
Contractors faced restrictions on what they could do because the area is a breeding and resting site for threatened species (Besix)
The client, the Danish Road Directorate, praised the JV.
"RBAI JV have since the tender process and during the whole construction period acted as a professional contractor for the employer," said its director Erik Stoklund Larsen.
"The collaboration during the years has been in a good tone and with full satisfaction. I would like to thank the representatives for the three companies in the RBAI JV for their contribution to achieving such a tremendous result at the Fjord Link project. It is a spectacular project which will benefit the Danish society for many years to come."
For Besix, European area manager Nic De Roeck said: "The achievement of this complex project before the contractual milestone and in such high quality would not have been possible without the open and constructive cooperation we enjoyed with the Danish Road Directorate (DRD) and all the other national and international parties involved."
Top image: The Crown Princess Mary’s Bridge over the Roskilde Fjord in Denmark opened to traffic on 30 September 2019 (Besix)
