Mammoet lifts ‘Iron Lady’ in night-time operation

MYCRANE

26.11.2021


Mammoet worked through the night to remove a steel arch bridge at Vianen, in the Netherlands, last week.

The heavy lifting specialist assisted Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch government agency responsible for public works and water management, and their contractor combination KWS – VES – DDM on the night-time operation.

Approximately 6,000 people watched the live stream removal of the illuminated bridge known as the 'Iron Lady'.

The bridge had a weight of approximately 5,000t and a height of approximately 30 meters. To complete the job, Mammoet built a large gantry system to support and lift the arch. Eight masts were mounted on a pontoon that was placed under the bridge, which were linked to the eight lifting towers on the bridge. The pontoon took over the weight of the bridge at high tide.

Sascha Oskam, environment manager for Rijkswaterstaat, said: “I am extremely proud that we managed this extensive operation together. The removal was safe and controlled. Our contractor combination KWS - VES - DDM has done a great job.”

Over the next few weeks, Mammoet is working 24 hour days to cut the steel arch into pieces in the outer harbour of the nearby Princess Beatrix lock. The bridge will then be small enough to pass under the adjacent Jan Blankenbrug bridge for final demolition at the Mammoet terminal in Schiedam where the steel parts will be made even smaller and transported to a recognized processor. There, the steel will be further processed into raw material.



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