Finally a bridge over the fjord

GEDA PH 2032 650 plays its part in a spectacular bridge building project in Norway

Norwegians have waited a very long time for this news. And now the bridge over the Dalsfjord is finally complete! The 523 metre long Dalsfjordbrua spans the narrowest point of the fjord north of Dale. Two construction hoists from Bavaria were also at work on this bridge construction in the far north.

The history of the area around the Dalsfjord on Norway's west coast dates back to the Viking era. The 43 km long fjord is located in the Sunnfjord region in the Sogn og Fjordane district and carves into the landscape in an easterly direction south of Atløy. The inner part of the water is very narrow at only 500 metres wide.
Up to now a ferry operated between Dale and Eikeneset but it has long been unable to keep step with increasing traffic volumes. Therefore the construction of the suspension bridge has also been an important contribution to infrastructure expansion in the Sunnfjord region of Norway. The bridge is supported by two pylons 100 metres high.

Of course such a demanding construction project also required the use of the best technology. The work on the concrete support structures was carried out in collaboration with Bilfinger Berger, the prestigious German construction company. Bilfinger erected the two 100 metre pylons for the Dalsfjord Bridge.
The company Utleiecompagniet AS (Uco) was awarded the contract to supply the height access technology. Uco, a close partner for many years of
GEDA-Dechentreiter GmbH & Co.KG, the construction hoist company based in Bavaria, Germany, equipped the spectacular construction site with two GEDA PH 2032 650 Single devices. Working together the companies came up with a perfect solution despite the exceptional conditions and delivered an overall concept totally adapted to the on-site situation. All the challenges were overcome professionally and the project was implemented to the full satisfaction of the customer.

GEDA: The expert in bridge construction projects

Height access specialist GEDA already has significant experience in bridge construction. For example four GEDA PH 2032 lifts were used on the 320 metre high pylons on the important "Russki" Bridge in Vladivostok. Also in the "White City" of Belgrade an unusual bridge construction project was completed with the help of two GEDA lifts. The bridge over the River Sava, with its width of 45 metres and tapering bridge pylons 200 metres high, placed extremely high demands on the height access technology.

In the far north of Norway the conditions were also anything but normal. Naturally the incline of the pylons had to be considered in the planning. Therefore the base units of the two lifts and the mast elements had to be prepared accordingly in order to compensate for the necessary incline and to adjust to the altered pylon geometry with increasing construction height.
The maximum lifting height of the GEDA PH 2032 650 Single is 400 metres with a lifting speed of up to 90 m/min. The 1.55 x 3.20 metre platform has been designed for the transport of 2,000 kg and therefore has sufficient space to transport a maximum of 25 people and/or a wide range of construction materials.
In order to cope with the more difficult conditions on the bridge pylons, GEDA and Uco developed some special solutions for using the PH devices. For instance, the hoist cars are loaded and unloaded at the two stop positions by an additional exit, a so-called D-door on the inside of the car. Specially designed anchorages also ensure the necessary distance to the pylons. They are fastened by roof-mounted and adjustable assembly planks.
Furthermore, the extreme ground pressure forces which the foot section of the GEDA PH lifts had to withstand were an additional challenge. To overcome this, GEDA and Uco developed a special foot section construction which was positioned on the pylon foot at about 2.5 metres. Not least due to these ingenious solutions, the overall concept from GEDA and Uco won over the customer and ensured that they prevailed over the competition.

With its PH series GEDA expertly complies with all big lift sector requirements. Customers have the choice of three standard models and depending on the circumstances of the construction site, these are adjusted to the necessary specifications such as platform size, lifting speed and lifting height. A single or double car can also be used. Different door systems in combination with the appropriate and requested electrically/mechanically locked landing gates round off the profile of the PH series.

Safety at great heights

GEDA has been setting safety benchmarks for over eighty years. These include the
well-known safety features such as the speed-dependent GEDA safety gear, overload protection, plus limit switches at the top and bottom landings, which all form part of the standard package. As with all GEDA rack and pinion lifts, the lubrication equipment is included as standard in the PH 2032 650 Single. This ensures significantly lower wear and tear on the toothed rack and pinions. Each of the two bridge pylons has two stop positions. Safety at the top exit point is ensured by the GEDA landing-level safety gate.

The Dalsfjord is considered to be very rich in fish. Every year thousands of fishing enthusiasts from across the world travel to this northern location to put their fishing fortunes to the test. Therefore the new bridge over the Dalsfjord has not only become an important infrastructure project for the region but also offers excellent conditions in the Sunnfjord region for both residents and tourists alike.

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