Temporary road bridge made of reused elements

The RLB bridge is constructed from reused elements and remains in place for about 3.5 years. A conversation with Han Kastermans of Retro Bridge about the many advantages of this lightweight and sustainable bridge concept. 

"In February 2020, we were commissioned by Heijmans to design an auxiliary bridge to allow work traffic access to the construction site," begins Kastermans. "Based on the requested requirements, our Retro Light Bridge (RLB) turned out to be the right candidate. This is a modular bridge structure 27 meters long and 7.5 meters wide with two lanes of traffic and a guardrail that meets Load Model 1 in accordance with Eurocode I-III. Heijmans purchased the bridge for this project, but with a buy-back guarantee. If a bridge has been in place longer than 2.75 years, that is usually more attractive. "We buy the bridge back at the end of the project," says Heijmans.

History

The RLB bridge is intended purely for work traffic, so that materials and raw materials can be efficiently removed and supplied for the construction of the new infrastructure to serve the new flyover over the A4 motorway. Kastermans: "The bridge is composed of four standard elements of 13.5 by 3 meters. Two elements are joined into one strand of 27 meters by 3 meters with a guardrail on one side. Two strands together make the bridge. Combined with a modular filler of 1.5 meters, we arrive at the desired driving deck of 7.5 meters wide. All elements were made by CE-certified suppliers. All data of these elements, including steel and rolling reports, welding certificates, and so on are registered by us in files. In addition, we build a complete history of all elements. We know exactly where they have been applied, in what configuration, in a left or right lane, etc. So every future client has insight into the history. The elements of the RLB as applied at Schiphol date from 2016."

Circular

Retro Bridge is one of the leading suppliers of modular bridge systems in Europe. "We are headquartered in Den Bosch, but operate throughout Europe with several subsidiaries," Kastermans explains. "Unique to our systems is the circular concept. We can perfectly reuse every element. For public roads, we use three variants. In addition to the Retro Light Bridge as applied here, we have the Retro Heavy Bridge in the range that can be constructed up to a 48-meter free span and the Retro Beam Bridge for spans up to 19 meters. This RBB is characterized by extremely slender bridge sections. In terms of calculation, all versions meet the same characteristics. We also supply a pedestrian bridge system for spans up to 66 meters and various panel bridges. We provide the complete picture from A to Z, including assembly. At our yard, we also have the ability to pre-assemble strands for minimal disruption on site."