Sarens was asked by our client Smulders and Besix to provide complete technical solution and engineering services to install the 1600T bridge across the ring road in Zaventem in a time-sensitive project. 

Brussels’ ring road is one of the busiest highways of Belgium. As part of the ring-wide renewal project coordinated by De Werkvennootschap, the bridge had to be installed across the ring road in Zaventem within limited time window for traffic closure. 

Given the critical timeline, Sarens meticulously planned and prepared for the project. The team used an advanced 3D scanner to create a digital twin of the driving route. This helped with mapping out the most critical driving manoeuvres well in advance.  The equipment used during the project included: 

• 75 axle-lines of K24ST trailers
• CS350
• CS1000

28 truckloads of equipment arrived from HQ in Wolvertem and all K24ST trailers arrived directly from other Sarens jobsites in France, The Netherlands, and Belgium. 

The 1600T bridge (105m long and 27m wide) was jacked-up by 2m using six CS350 climbing towers to place four CS1000 climbing towers placed atop K24ST trailers underneath the bridge section. Once the load was transferred on the SPMT and climbing tower set-up, the bridge was ready to be transported to the installation site. 

According to Project Engineer, Bart Hemeleers, “The bridge had to be driven underneath the bridge Sarens installed last year. The 3D-model analysis showed a tolerance of only half-a-meter.” He adds, “A risky and tight squeeze, but it allowed us to start jacking the bridge immediately after passing underneath.” 

Fitting a jacking system capable of handling the load, whilst still being able to fit underneath the existing bridge was the key to this project’s success. This solution offered by Sarens proved to be a massive time-saver. The highway closure originally planned for 36 hours was reduced to only 15 hours by Sarens customised solution and precise engineering. 

Sarens was on site for about two weeks, including mobilisation and demobilisation. Our crew of twelve assembled the equipment and executed the final operation safely, efficiently, and successfully. 

According to Sarens Project Manager, Peter Keyen, “After last year’s 1000T bridge installation and last October’s 800T bridge extraction, this move marked the third and final Sarens intervention at the Henneaulaan jobsite.” 

Sarens proved to be a reliable and capable partner, assisting our clients during each milestone manoeuvres of this project. 

Watch the video of this spectacular bridge move here.