Topics for negotiation: Bridge repair and refurbishment

The topics of bridge repair and refurbishment were discussed in regular loss meetings attended by all the parties involved, i.e. the principally affected liability insurer, experts, the motorway authorities, and the reinsurers.

Experts commissioned by the liability insurer analysed the various options for repairing the 60-m section of bridge that had been deformed.

Option 1 involved the replacement of a 40-m segment, a safety-oriented repair that would avoid the risks associated with achieving a perfect fit but would call for a major construction effort and would also be very expensive.

Option 2 would involve straightening the slightly deformed and thermally damaged steel elements and replacing a 20-m connecting segment between the girder joints. Achieving a perfect fit would depend on the success of the highly challenging straightening work, a job that only a few specialists would be capable of performing. The construction site logistics would also need to be elaborate, e.g. heavy-duty scaffolding would have to be erected beneath the carriageway.

Option 3 only included straightening work in the calculation and was thus an economical repair option. But the bridge’s internal stress and the substantial deformation revealed by the metallographic cross-section meant that there was a high risk of failure. This option would also have involved considerable expenses, with the result that it was not recommended from the very outset.

After exhaustive consultations, the parties decided to adopt the second option – the best option in both technical and economic terms. It also had the significant advantage that the busy motorway bridge would not have to be closed for several years.

« back  |  continue »