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Ruukki to Speed Bridge Construction with Large Sections, Installation Method

11/19/2009 - Ruukki has been chosen as the steel structure contractor for a girder bridge that will feature the largest sections ever made for a Finnish bridge, using installation technology new to the country. The girders will be installed in spring 2010.

Ruukki has been chosen as the steel structure contractor for a bridge to be built at Dragsfjärd archipelago in southwest Finland to replace the Lövö ferry. The bridge will feature what Ruukki claims to be the largest sections ever made for a Finnish bridge.
 
Ruukki's installation technology chosen for the contract is being used for the first time in Finland and will considerably speed up installation of the large bridge sections, according to the company. The order is worth almost €3 million.
 
Ruukki will supply the steel structures, including installation, to Skanska Infra Oy. The structures will be fabricated at Ruukki's plant in Ylivieska, Finland, beginning in late 2009, completed into ready-to-install sections in Kalajoki, and then shipped by barge to the construction site.
 
The girders will be installed in spring 2010. The 460-meter-long composite girder bridge, which will span the Lövö strait at a height of 18 meters, will open to traffic in autumn 2010.
 
"The steel bridge solution will considerably shorten overall construction time and the installation method chosen will also speed up work,” said Construction Manager Mauri Ketonen from Skanska Infra. “The large sections will be installed in place in a week in spring 2010. Total steel structure installation time on site will be cut from half a year to just one month compared to conventional construction methods. This will leave us more time for the other demanding stages of work in the bridge project."
  
Ruukki has previously employed this installation method in other Nordic countries. Each section will be about 100 meters long and weigh 200 tonnes. The sections will be lifted directly into place by sea crane and welded together. The company claims that the high degree of structural prefabrication will speed up installation time, minimize construction risks in maritime conditions, and reduce adverse environmental impacts.
 
Rautaruukki, which uses the marketing name Ruukki, supplies metal-based components, systems, and integrated systems to the construction and engineering industries. The company has a wide selection of metal products and services. It now has operations in 27 countries and employs 12,200 people. Net sales in 2008 totaled EUR 3.9 billion.