Traffic Project No.17, Navigation Crossing, Magdeburg, Germany - Canal bridge over the Elb

The Rhine and Oder rivers were to be connected to each other by a navigable waterway in 1934. The plan was taken up again and, after being redesigned,was put into effect. After completion in the year 2003 there will be an economical and environmentally friendly alternative available for the transport of large quantities and hazardous goods.

The work consists of several individual projects in which altogether about 336,000 m² of formwork is to be carried out.

The reasons for taking PERI on board, as a reliable partner for formwork and scaffolding, apart from the time schedule and the cost situation, were the good long-term experiences with PERI systems on past projects. The site service was provided by PERI Magdeburg.

Canal bridge over the Elb
The longest canal bridge in Europe will be created by the direct connection between the Elb-Havel canal and the Mittelland canal. The structure consists of the 690 m long and 34 m wide foreland bridge that rests on 17 piers, rounded like ships bows, as well as the river bridge that leads the waterway over the Elb on two pairs of piers with a length of 228 m.

The formwork for the river piers is based on the VARIO system. On the basis of exact plans the units,together with appropriate filler units, perfectly fitted the required geometry. The 3.00 m high VARIO units on SKS 180 brackets were climbed with seven lifts of 2.45 and 2.87 m. Especially timesaving during lifting: formwork and climbing platforms were moved to the next lift as one unit.