Groot Aub Bridge, Namibia

Groot Aub Bridge, Namibia
Groot Aub Bridge, Namibia
Groot Aub - Namibia
Groot Aub - Namibia
  • Infrastructure
  • Bridging, Engineering and Project Services
  • Groot Aub, Namibia

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Fiona Ranson-Sasaki

Head of Marketing

+44 (0)1291 623801

Challenge

The village of Groot Aub in central Namibia is a poor rural community at the mercy of the Uiseb River which is prone to flooding. During the 2010/2011 rainy season the community was cut off for two weeks when the fast flowing river became uncrossable, making access in and out of the area via the B1 national road impossible.

A recent influx of settlers has expanded the population from 1,000 in 2003 to over 6,000 today, most of whom, if not pensioners or farmers, need to be able to make the long 40km commute to the capital of Windhoek to work.

As part of a programme of infrastructure improvements in Namibia, Mabey Bridge was commissioned to supply a bridging solution to Groot Aub’s problems.

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Solution

A two-lane Compact 200 Bridge System divided into four equal spans was chosen for speed and ease of assembly and installation, and its durable nature. The Compact 200 is fully galvanised to ensure a long design life with minimal maintenance and is Mabey Bridge’s most popular pre-engineered, modular, steel panel bridge.

The system uses standardised, fully interchangeable components to provide robust, rapid build solutions for permanent rural bridges, even in the remotest of locations.

The bridge was built using local labour and the site was prepared, including construction of abutments, intermediate piers and launch plane, before components arrived on-site. Rollers were placed on the launch plane and on top of abutments and piers in preparation for the launching process. Assembly of the bridge started with the temporary nose and continued with a build-and-push operation using a 35 tonne crane to carry out the heavier work and a telehandler to transport parts around the site. A 23 tonne excavator was used to help launch the bridge.

Once the fully assembled bridge had reached the landing abutment, nose bays were dismantled and the jacking operation started by removing and replacing the rollers with timber packing. A single line of deck units was installed along the length of the bridge to allow access to each pier. The bridge was then jacked down onto bearings. Installation time from start to finish was a little over five weeks, including a break for Christmas.

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Result

The community of Groot Aub now benefits from a robust, reliable 173m bridging solution in place across the river that will serve it for many years to come. Mabey Bridge has delivered similar rural solutions for decades.

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