Wende demolishes viaduct

Wende Erdbau has carried out the demolition of the 35 m (114 ft) high Langenschwartz Viaduct running between Kassel and Würzburg in Germany.

Built in 1947 and currently being replaced due to increasing traffic loads, the 326 m (1,069 ft) long section of motorway was brought down by Wende’s 70-person demolition team.

Sebastian Wess, Wende managing director, said: “The high art of demolishing a bridge structure is all based on proceeding rationally. We’re breaking new ground with this demolition project and have equipped ourselves specifically to this end.”

The first phase of the project involved the complete demolition of the structure’s western section, including pylons, foundations and abutments.

Wende used both a 30 t excavator and long-front excavators with Genesis GDT 290 demolition shears to crush the structure’s box girder and sort the materials. Genesis GXT 225 R scrap shears were used to cut the rebars and a 35 t long-front excavator took down the bridge’s exposed pylon.

A 40 t excavator was then used to demolish the lowest part of the bridge’s pylons.

Sebastian said: “The equipment possesses a heavy-duty and high-quality while very slim design. It allows the wearing parts to be replaced quickly. These shears enable us to make rapid progress while maintaining high operational safety and low wearing costs.”