Inauguration of the Zandhazenbrug 26/08/2016: another recordbreaking project!

Image: Ronald
The Zandhazenbrug is the first railway bridge to be built in S460. Moreover, it is the longest railway bridge in the Netherlands, with a main span of over 250 m. At the same time, from a landscape perspective, a flashy bridge was undesirable. Rijkswaterstaat wanted a slender, airy-looking bridge, whose color and design would not draw too much attention.

© Rijkswaterstaat
Because of the great length in combination with the required slenderness of the main girders and arches, these are made of thermo-mechanically rolled steel S460/ML. This allowed the weight of the bridge to be limited and made it possible to transport the bridge over the highway. The application of S460 ultimately results in a weight saving of almost 30%. The bridge has a steel structure. The two box-shaped arches just barely touch at the top, creating an airy image.

© Vliegveld Hilversum, Dutch Road Movies, Rijkswaterstaat
In the design by ZJA and Iv-Infra the architectural design is geared to the constructive characteristics and possibilities for assembly. In the architectural design, ZJA made a visible distinction between the two main components of the bridge: the arch versus the deck. The arches determine the image from afar, the deck is subordinate to them. The project was carried out by the general contractor SAAone , with Victor Buyck Steel Construction responsible for the production and assembly of the more than 8,500 tonnes of steel.

Image: Bennie91
About the Author:

Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.