BUILDING
FROM THE
TOP DOWN
Bridges normally aren’t
constructed this way, but thanks
to cutting edge technology
developed in part by a Canadian
company, that’s exactly what’s
happening in Cartagena, Colombia
By Mark Halsall
Building a bridge from the top down isn’t the usual way
to do it. But when bridge builders faced the daunting
prospect of having to span five kilometres of swampland
during a highway upgrade project in Cartagena,
Colombia, it was determined that top-down construction
made the most sense.
An integral part of this project is a groundbreaking beam
launching girder system that enables bridges to be built in
wetlands and shallow water areas that prevent the use of
conventional floating equipment and cranes.
Construction of the two-lane, five kilometre long bridge
began last September and is expected to be completed
by 2019. A key contributor to the project is a Canadian
company that assisted with the development of the beam
launching system.
“The only system that they thought was viable was to bring
this equipment to Colombia and use it for a top-down construction
of the bridge,” said Stefano Gabaldo, sales engineer
for Bermingham Foundation Solutions of Hamilton, Ont.
A beam launcher enables equipment and construction
materials to be moved along a completed structure instead
of along the ground or through floating vessels. Two of them
are being used in Cartagena, one at each starting point for
construction, and they will eventually meet near the middle
to complete the bridge.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BERMINGHAM FOUNDATION SOLUTIONS
56 Q2 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
