SCOTLAND

Latest technology for a historic project.

2,637 metres long, 48 metres height above the water and three pylons with heights of up to 207 metres – the new bridge over the Firth of Forth in Scotland is the biggest bridge construction project in Europe. A Joint Venture consisting of HOCHTIEF Solutions AG, American Bridge International Corporation, Dragados and Morrison Construction is realising the once-in-a-century construction project. During the planning phase we are already drawing up the work preparation concept together with HOCHTIEF and the crane concept together with Liebherr. The latter consists of three Liebherr 630 EC-H revolving tower cranes with a final hook height of 212 metres. The cranes are raised in several phases in coordination with the pylons until they reach the final height.

Building connections up to 13 metres long had to be specially constructed. All three cranes are located offshore on steel platforms with pile foundations. They can only be reached by water, and must also reliably and safely fulfil their function during storms and high waves. Trucks brought the crane components to Port Rosyth for preassembly on land. These preassembled segments were transported on a barge to the actual location out at sea, where they were assembled using a crawler excavator mounted on a pontoon. Strong currents during ebb and flow, storms, high waves – under such elementary conditions, safety is essentially important.

The pertinent regulations stipulate the deployment of staff certified in accordance with CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme), who have also successfully completed a Marine Training course. Where uncontrollable natural elements play such an important role, all processes must be organised flexibly – not only during crane assembly but also during ongoing operations. And this is how we ensure this: trained personnel on the construction site, a consignment store for spare parts and a service which in all working processes is oriented to the regulations of the Work Method Statements, including the Lift Plans and the Risk Analysis.

The bigger the project is, the more important the minor details are.

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Experience shows that thousands of things that occur during a once-in-a-century project are carried out with the same precise routine as for everything else. We are therefore able to concentrate our entire planning competence on the specialities of major projects.

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