Arctic demands in Norway

The construction of the Hålogaland Bridge in a remote area of northern Norway presented many challenges – some of which were addressed by the use of well-specified key components

The Hålogaland Bridge, scheduled to open in the coming months, crosses one of Norway’s many fjords with a main span of length 1,145 m [3,750 ft]. Its location within the Arctic Circle and the rugged, largely undeveloped environment presented many challenges in relation to design, construction and maintenance, which impacted significantly on the key structural components used in the bridge’s construction. These included the following mageba products:

  • RESTON®FORCE horizontal force bearings (type FE) at each tower specially designed to accommodate the high vertical rotations arising due to live loading

  • TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints at both ends of the superstructure supplied with the QUICK-EX (quick exchange) design which will enable them to be replaced quickly and easily (typically in under 24 hours) at the end of their design life with no impact on the bridge structure

  • RESTON®STU Shock Transmission Units to control superstructure movements at each tower specially designed, due to the limited space available, with two separate chambers, with different volumes of oil in each, and two external accumulators to accommodate oil movements

  • A ROBO®CONTROL structural health monitoring (SHM) system initially based on data from the RESTON®STU devices, enabling STU condition to be checked at any time. The system is also designed to provide immediate notification should pre-defined threshold values be exceeded, enhancing bridge safety and optimising maintenance work

With all these high-quality components used in its construction, this fine new bridge is well equipped to provide good service to its users for many years to come – not only due to the long service life that can be expected of each component, but also thanks to the special design features that will help optimise inspection, maintenance and renewal work in this very challenging environment.

Bridge design: COWI
Architect: Dissing+Weitling
Tower construction contractor: NCC
Superstructure construction contractor: Sichuan Road & Bridge Group

A short video illustrating mageba's “Quick-Ex” system

TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints for both ends of the superstructure – with 17 gaps each, enabling them to each facilitate 1,360 mm [53.5 in] of longitudinal movement, and designed with the QUICK-EX (quick exchange) feature

RESTON®FORCE horizontal force bearings (type FE) at each tower – designed for a horizontal load of 1,800 kN [400 kips] and longitudinal movements of +/-450 mm [+/- 18 in], and for high vertical rotations (shown here during installation of a RESTON®STU shock transmission unit above the bearing)

RESTON®STU Shock Transmission Units (STU) to control superstructure movements at each tower – designed for an axial force of 10,400 kN [2,340 kips] and with a stroke of +/-450 mm [+/- 18 in], and each weighing in at 7,000 kg [15,400 lb]

RESTON®FORCE horizontal force bearings (type FE) at each tower – designed for a horizontal load of 1,800 kN [400 kips] and longitudinal movements of +/-450 mm [+/- 18 in], and for high vertical rotations (shown here during installation of a RESTON®STU shock transmission unit above the bearing)