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The new TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints of the Köhlbrand Bridge in Hamburg are of the “Quick-Ex” (quick exchange) type, making them far easier to replace when the time comes – with little or no impact on traffic

The Köhlbrand Bridge is one of Hamburg’s most important structures, with an overall length of 3618 m and a main span of 325 m. During recent major bridge renovation works, mageba supplied and installed TENSA®MODULAR expansion joints at four bridge axes, with between 8 and 12 gaps each, some of them with noise-reducing “sinus plates” on the driving surface. These joints required challenging steel connections (connections to a steel deck) in some cases, and – of particular interest – those at two axes feature the “Quick-Ex” design, which will enable them, many years from now when they have reached the end of their service life, to be easily replaced in a single day.

The design of each “Quick-Ex” modular joint will enable its mechanical structure to be easily replaced without any need for cutting or welding on the joint or any impact on the bridge deck. It will not be necessary to break out concrete, or damage asphalt or deck waterproofing, and therefore will also not require placing of these materials to reconstruct the deck. The moving parts of the joint are simply unscrewed, lifted out and replaced – far more quickly and easily than would otherwise be possible, with an absolute minimum of impact on traffic.

The installation process on the Köhlbrand Bridge is shown in the first video, and the Quick-Ex principle is briefly illustrated in the second video on the top on the right hand side.

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

Watch mageba's Köhlbrand Bridge joint installation video

Lifting of a “Quick-Ex” TENSA®MODULAR expansion joint into position

An expansion joint as positioned, before placing of reinforcement and pouring of concrete

A fully installed “Quick-Ex” TENSA®MODULAR expansion joint, showing the surface plates that can be unscrewed and removed to enable the expansion joint to be easily replaced