As part of a major infrastructure upgrade between Bottrop and Essen, WASEL GmbH successfully replaced an ageing concrete pipe bridge with a new steel structure using two Liebherr LR 11000 crawler cranes. The bridge, which connects local refineries to the Bottrop tank farm, spans both the A42 motorway and the River Emscher.
The project involved a total of seven Liebherr cranes, including mobile and crawler models, with the two 1,000-tonne LR 11000 units taking center stage for the heaviest lifts. The bridge segments, weighing 220 tonnes each and measuring 71 metres long, were delivered by ship via the Rhine-Herne Canal. They were lifted in tandem and placed with extreme precision in a pre-assembly area.
“The cranes worked brilliantly – as you’d expect from Liebherr,” said crane operator Florian Lauschke, who managed the challenging wide-radius lifts from the ship.
The second phase involved dismantling the old bridge and installing the new structure. One LR 11000 was disassembled, transported 1,000 metres along the A42, and reassembled to carry out the final installation. With components weighing up to 240 tonnes, the cranes’ agility and lifting power were crucial.
Project Manager Viktor Hein praised the equipment’s performance and efficiency: “Thanks to the high lifting capacity and fast relocation capabilities, we completed the job two days ahead of schedule.”
The steel bridge segments were manufactured by Schone & Bruns GmbH and transported via inland waterways. Project Manager Günther Lohaus emphasized the importance of planning: “Closing the motorway for the shortest time was key. Thanks to close coordination, detailed logistics, and Liebherr’s reliability, we beat the planned timeframe.”
