Commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat, the contractor combination Van der Ende Infrastructure & edilon)(sedra Contracting v.o.f. performed maintenance work on the Wilhelminabrug in Deventer. In the process, the bridge was largely blasted and reconsolidated by Van der Ende.
Despite setbacks due to the high water level of the river IJssel in the spring of 2016 and due to paint problems that caused the execution to take longer than planned, the preservation work has now been completed and the bridge can be handed back to the Department of Public Works.
A retrospective
We began the maintenance of the bridge in July on the Deventer side by repairing, repairing and cleaning concrete on the underside of the east abutment bridge and repairing the concrete piers. We also replaced part of the concrete bridge deck and the entire asphalt structure. In the process, an emergency bridge was constructed so that emergency services, agricultural traffic, mopeds and bus line 171 could continue to pass. The joint at the abutment on the Deventer side was replaced and the remaining joints were renovated.
This work required a complete stoppage of the bridge, but instead of the planned 5 weeks we were able to reduce this to just 4 weeks.
This phase of the work also included cleaning the arch of the bridge and repairing the paint system. In addition, the paint on the main girders on the top of the bridge, the railing and light poles were repaired. The railings of the approach bridge on the Deventer side were disassembled, repaired and completely sandblasted and painted. The main girders of the bridges on the Twello side were completely sandblasted and repainted.
During the 3rd and 4th phases of the project, the wearing courses and asphalt construction of the pedestrian/bicycle paths were repaired and we renovated cable ducts. We also painted the supports of the western underpass at Emma Road and Pothead.
From October through April, using inspection trucks and scaffolding, we removed the old paint on the underside of the bridge using grit blasting and applied new layers of paint. This completes the maintenance work and allows us to deliver the Wilhelmina Bridge completely according to the requirements of the Department of Public Works and the municipality of Deventer.
Some more numbers to give you an idea of the scope of the work:
- 20,000 m2 of steel pre-treated (cleaned or blasted) and painted
- 2,300 m2 of concrete repaired
- 70 m2 concrete bridge deck replaced
- Replacing 4,000 m2 of asphalt
- 3 st joint crossings renovated
- 1 st joint crossing renewed
- 1,000 st rivets replaced
- 300,000 kg of repair mortar processed
- 1,200 tons of blasting grit used to remove old paint
- 30,000 gallons of new paint applied
- 2,000 brushes consumed
- 70 men per day at work at peak of project
We are extremely proud to be able to conclude this extensive project successfully and look back on an enjoyable project, in which the open communication with Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Deventer certainly contributed to the good atmosphere and pleasant cooperation.