Linking Lima

A current major infrastructure project in the Peruvian capital involves the construction of a number of highway viaducts and pedestrian bridges – four of which feature mageba key components

The city of Lima on Peru’s Pacific coast is currently undertaking a major infrastructure project, which will greatly improve transport conditions for the city’s approximately nine million people. The Vinci Highways/Lamsac project includes the building of a number of stand-alone bridge structures and – most significantly – the construction of the Linea Amarilla express highway across the city. This highway has a length of 17 km, incorporating a tunnel of length 1.8 km and ten viaducts with a total length of approximately 9 km. mageba is proud to have already supported this important project in several ways, by supplying bearings and expansion joints for various structures and supervising their installation.

These include TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints for two of the longest highway viaducts – joints of types LR6 and LR7 (with 6 and 7 gaps respectively), designed to accommodate longitudinal movements of up to 560 mm. To protect the joints and connecting structures in case of an earthquake, the joints must also accommodate transverse movements of the same magnitude – an uncommon requirement. Yet more unusual is the requirement for modular joints that must facilitate large transverse movements to also be equipped with noise-reducing “sinus plates” on their surface. This requirement resulted in the need to specially develop a new type of sinus plate for use on this project, which avoids potential collisions between the projecting parts of sinus plates across any of the expansion joint’s movement gaps.

mageba’s involvement on the project also includes the supply of structural bearings for two pedestrian bridges – Puente Primero de Mayo and Puente Colegio. The RESTON®POT bearings supplied for these bridges are relatively small but vitally important to their structures’ safety and proper functioning. They are designed to carry loads of up to 3500 kN, with some additionally required to resist uplift forces. They are also designed to either resist horizontal forces of up to 3800 kN, or to accommodate movements of up to +/- 50 mm along any horizontal axis.

We are honoured to have contributed to this project by supplying our high-quality bridge components – engineering connections on many of its most important structures, and thereby also helping to link the city’s people together by means of improved transport infrastructure. All in keeping with our company slogans of today and yesteryear.

Two highway viaducts were equipped with TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints with up to seven individual movement gaps

The expansion joints were designed to accommodate longitudinal movements of up to 560 mm

The joints were designed to also accommodate very large transverse movements, which may arise during an earthquake, with trapezoid-shaped boxes at the sliding end of each of the support bars

The required connection to a steel superstructure at one side of some joints presented a particular challenge for design and installation

RESTON®POT bearings were supplied for two pedestrian bridges as part of the project

The bearings were designed to carry loads of up to 3500 kN, with many – such as the one shown here – additionally required to resist uplift forces

Some of the bearings were designed to accommodate longitudinal or transverse movements of up to +/- 50 mm …

… while others were designed as fixed bearings, to resist horizontal forces of up to 3800 kN