Tamina Bridge

Stunning Swiss concrete arch bridge

One of the largest arch bridges in Europe is currently under construction amid the stunning alpine landscape of Switzerland’s canton of St Gallen.The finest of everything is going into its construction, including the latest European-approved, Swiss-engineered temporary stay cable and post-tensioning technology and expertise from the BBR Network. The construction of the 260m spanning concrete arch begun in early 2014. It is built by the free cantilever method using cantilever carriages with concrete segments starting from the abutments at both sides of the Tamina Gorge and meeting in the centre 200m above the floor of the gorge. The concrete segments are held in place by temporary stays which are linked to auxiliary temporary pylons. Stressing of the stay cables is done very precisely by use of 12 multistrand jacks, keeping the pylons almost vertical within the pre-defined limits. Completion of the arch is expected early 2015. Once the arch is closed and the auxiliary pylons dismantled, the superstructure will be constructed on traditional formwork. PT works for the superstructure and the approach bridges will consist of 190t of strand and about 8km of the BBR VT Plastic Duct for extra durability.