The Madrid M-30 highway, where hundreds of thousands of vehicles circulate daily, was constructed in 1954. After decades without reparations, wear caused by the rain and other natural factors had made it necessary to replace a major concrete bridge over the southern curve of the circular highway in Madrid.
Sarens was brought onto the project to carry out the heavy lifts of the concrete slabs and assist in the reparation of its half-timber support beams.
• Using a panel repair technique with half-timber supports, Sarens completed its comprehensive reconditioning of the damaged bridge structure, despite its difficult access, in just 3 months.
• The project was carried out by lifting spans of the bridge that were damaged, utilizing hydraulic jacks on an auxiliary lifting gantry.
• The lift was carried out in two non-simultaneous phases on the north deck of the Avenida del Mediterráneo bridge in southern Madrid.
The Madrid M-30 highway project was carried out from the beginning of August to the end of September, completed on schedule and with great agility thanks to the cooperation between all the parties involved.
Traffic Improvements
The operations were carried out mainly at night as teams sought to cause the least impact on the traffic and residents of the area. Sarens’ project team deployed tactics to cause minimal disruption to circulation, working intensively for several weeks across double shifts.
The rehabilitation of this Madrid M-30 highway bridge will allow circulation to safely resume in one of Madrid’s highest traffic density areas. These improvements in urban transport infrastructure in the city are projected to optimize circulation and reduce the environmental impact in this area with the Madrid 360 initiative to reduce emissions.
“We are very pleased to have completed such a complex project in such a short time. Sarens’ team is convinced that our work will facilitate mobility and traffic of the most prominent highway in city of Madrid,” commented Jose María Martínez, Key Account Manager of Sarens and spokesperson of the project for the part of Sarens.
Sarens, a world leader in crane rental services, heavy lifting and transport engineering, recently wrapped its participation on the installation of a new highway bride in southern Madrid. As part of the job, Sarens was tasked with repairing the damaged spans of the north deck of the bridge over Avenida del Mediterráneo, at the height of its passage through the major M-30 highway. The project was carried out in two non-simultaneous phases that corresponded to the lifting of each of the two affected spans, using Sarens’ hydraulic jacks.
Sarens on the Job
The deterioration of the timber beam interiors had already been reported for 15 years, leading to other construction projects carried out on the same area of the bridge over the last several years. Sarens had previously participated in the 2016 study and repair proposal of the south deck, at the highway exit to the A3 towards Valencia, for TECYRSA.
Sarens’ experience in similar projects like the Madrid M-30 highway eased its project preparations and choice of lifting technique utilized. The complexity of the operation required the joint work of the administration, the LRA designer and IMESAPI construction to complete the repair work as well as the lifting of the structure to treat the affected bridge parts. The heaviest span of the bridge to be hoisted weighed 375 tons and was lifted by Sarens using its lifting gantry with its four hydraulic jacks, which have the capacity to lift up to 500 tons.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental services, heavy lifting, and engineered transport. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world’s largest inventories of cranes, transporters, and specialty rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today’s heavy lifting and engineered transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small-scale to mega scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly skilled professionals who are prepared to support any client’s requirements around the globe and across every market sector. (www.sarens.com)
