Family outing: Four Liebherr K series cranes support bridge construction project

To facilitate management of a floodplain in the Emsland region for the next 100 years, a replacement of the Versen floodplain bridge is under way in Meppen. The 85 bored piles, which are more than 20 metres in length, are already in place. The bridge requires a total of 5,000 cubic metres of concrete and more than 700 tonnes of steel – all will be lifted by the four Liebherr tower cranes. The heaviest parts, formwork tables with infill zones, weigh between 2.2 and 3.1 tonnes. Overlapping operating areas have been created through the insertion of tower sections to ensure that all loads can be handled without the help of mobile cranes.

The Versen floodplain bridge is 211 metres in length and is therefore the second longest in the Emsland region, only beaten by a bridge in Rhede (Ems). As the entire length of the bridge requires optimal coverage, the crane company Maschinen- & Anlagen– Reparatur- & Montage GmbH, MARM for short, selected four Liebherr tower cranes: the two 81 K.1 are operating with a 48-metre radius and a hook height of 29 metres, the two 53 K with a 40-metre radius and a hook height of 23.8 metres. Alongside their reach, it was the high handling capacity of the cranes, a result of Liebherr’s in-house produced drives, that proved to be a decisive factor for this choice.

Peter Herbers, managing director of the Meppen-based building contractor working on the 6.5 million euro project, and Bernhard Hackmann, the project manager responsible for the Emsland district, are in agreement; so far, everything is going according to plan. “The project will be completed before the end of 2020, half a year ahead of schedule,” reports Herbers. He sees the fast disassembly of the K series cranes as a particular advantage, “On two occasions, the cranes have had to be dismantled and removed from flooded areas virtually overnight.”

As the construction of the floodplain bridge enters its final stages, the next assignment already awaits; the realisation of the longest bridge in the Emsland region, the River Ems and floodplain bridge in Rhede (Ems), which will measure approx. 300 metres. For the completion of this new replacement construction, the family-owned company will again be relying on the crane experts and solutions of Liebherr and its local dealer, MARM GmbH, in Lingen.