The German Railway recently completed the renewal of a bridge over the Riß in Biberach, employing a Liebherr crawler crane LR 1750/2 from RIGA MAINZ, a crane and heavy haulage company. The project involved lifting out old bridge sections and placing new 285-ton bridge parts on freshly constructed abutments.
The old bridge, dating back to 1912, spanned the Riß, a tributary of the Danube in Upper Swabia, with abutments three decades older. Originally, the plan was to construct a new bridge west of the old one, but environmental concerns led to a change. Instead, the new bridge was built to the east on a meadow using prefabricated parts, lifted into place by the 750-tonne crawler crane LR 1750/2.
Salcef Bau GmbH awarded the contract to RIGA MAINZ, and the project faced tight space conditions. Owner Uwe Langer noted, “The LR 1750/2 was the optimum crane size for this job. It is compact and yet powerful.” Two large drilling machines created twelve bored piles for the new abutments. After lifting, the bridge sections were cast with concrete into the abutments, resulting in a ten-meter-wide and twenty-meter-long structure.
Despite the challenges, the assembly and crawler crane teams completed the reconstruction efficiently. The railway line was closed for only five days during the project, showcasing the precision and effectiveness of the LR 1750/2. The entire operation, including setup, dismantling, and ten days of operation, took just over two weeks, with the LR 1750/2 proving to be the ideal choice for the complex task.
