Liebherr tower cranes renovate bridge in Spain

• Two Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 Litronic tower cranes are being used for the renovation of Seville's Puente Quinto Centenario bridge, which includes the addition of an extra traffic lane and new stay cables.

• The cranes are secured to the bridge's pylons with welded box section struts, a setup that posed significant planning and assembly challenges due to the need to navigate around the bridge's stay cables.

• Liebherr’s Tower Crane Solutions (TCS) department provided crucial support in site and assembly planning, ensuring the cranes were assembled safely while the bridge remained open to traffic.

• The renovation work involves replacing ageing cables and adding metal pylon reinforcements, with the cranes lifting materials weighing up to 7.5 tonnes at a height of 110 metres.

• Israel Requena, Managing Director at Sancho Toro Sur, S.L., highlighted the efficiency, agility, and reliability of the Liebherr cranes as key to the success of this significant infrastructure project.

• Seville's southernmost bridge is getting new stay cables and an extra traffic lane

• Two Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 Litronic cranes are secured to the bridge's pylons

• Good cooperation between Liebherr Tower Crane Solutions and Sancho Toro Sur

• Lifts at a height of 110 metres

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A major bridge in Seville is being renovated with the help of two high-top cranes. Securing them to the bridge’s pylons proved a tricky task in terms of planning and assembly, as the struts had to be guided through the stay cables connecting the carriageway to the pylons.

Two Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 Litronic tower cranes are currently in Seville, Spain's fourth largest city, where they are helping to renovate the Puente Quinto Centenario road bridge. The bridge, a high traffic crossing point in Seville, currently spans the Gualdalquivir River with three lanes. An extra lane will be added as part of the renovation work so that traffic can spread across two lanes in both directions at peak times. Until now, the third lane has either been opened to traffic travelling towards Seville or in the opposite direction out of the city, depending on traffic volume.

A challenging task: ties between the bridge's cables

Opened in 1991, the bridge's carriageway is suspended by a total of 80 stay cables from two pylons erected on opposite banks. The two high-top cranes stand next to the bridge pylons and are attached to them at two points with struts. The welded box section struts (0.5 x 0.5 metres) secure the cranes and reach through the carriageway's stay cables to the bridge pylons. This scenario posed a number of challenges during planning and assembly. The struts for securing the cranes needed to stay clear of the cables at all times; something that had to be factored into the design process. Box section struts were chosen and these are attached to two tower sections with an external frame. During assembly, the lower ties of the two 420 EC-H 16 Litronic cranes had to be guided through the tensioned stay cables of the bridge structure. Liebherr’s Tower Crane Solutions (TCS) project department, which is responsible for planning and assisting with special projects, was on hand from the start to support Liebherr’s rental partner Sancho Toro Sur with site and assembly planning. A mobile crane was used to assemble the 420 EC-H 16 Litronics straight to their final height. The ties were installed first, and the slewing parts were then mounted on the cranes. As the assembly took place while the bridge remained open to traffic, the safety requirements were accordingly high.

Overhaul of the 33-year-old bridge

An inspection of the bridge revealed that the ageing cables securing the carriageway to the pylons needed to be replaced. The cranes are being used to lift metal pylon reinforcements weighing up to 7.5 tonnes at a height of 110 metres. Ten of these reinforcements will make the bridge, which dates back to 1991, ready for the carriageway's expansion. The Puente Quinto Centenario is being remodelled during the course of extensive renovation work.

Israel Requena, Managing Director at Sancho Toro Sur, S.L., is proud of the work on this iconic project, “The work is a challenge for us and we're happy to be involved in this important project. The two Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 Litronic cranes are ideal for this job with their maximum hook height of 87.10 metres, 16-tonne lifting capacity and radius of up to 75 metres. Their efficiency, agility and reliability make them the perfect choice for renovating the Puente Quinto Centenario.”