Work on the Zaltbommel railway bridge in full swing

In May 2004, we began preserving the railway bridge over the river Waal at Zaltbommel. With 11 spans and a total length of more than 900 metres, this is a huge task. In four years time, the underside of the bridge will be stripped of the current preservative, which mainly consists of a thick layer of Flintkote, which is 10 mm thick in places. In order to remove this layer, the surface is first treated with Hydro jets. In order to cause as little damage to the environment as possible, the water which is used by the Hydro jets is continuously recycled.

After the Flintkote has been removed, the rust will be removed and the intact layer of paint will be made rough using the Torbo gritblasting system. After this, the new paint system will be applied. This system consists of three layers of Epoxy paint with a total thickness of approximately 250 microns.

Since the work is performed above the river Waal, a special construction had to be built in order to meet the requirements of the Dutch law concerning the contamination of surface water (Wet Verontreiniging Oppervlaktewateren).

A preservation construction which meets all the requirements was designed in cooperation with a construction firm. The water of the Hydro jets is collected from the floor of the container and then transported to the filter unit via the drain. The total construction measures 7 x 18 metres and is moved by means of a hydro winch system.