Bellinzona, 2024
Launching of the Ponte della Torretta Box Girder
Project overview
Iten AG carried out the launching of the two bridge box girders of the Ponte della Torretta in Bellinzona. As part of the expansion of the 180-meter-long structure, the two box girders, each weighing around 2,000 tonnes, were pushed in an easterly and westerly direction over distances of approx. 80 and 100 meters respectively.
The launching was performed using specially developed sliding shoes with PTFE sliding surfaces. To separate the bridge in the middle, temporary prestressing with Swiss-GEWI bars was installed beforehand. Hollow-core hydraulic cylinders with prestressing forces of up to 1,000 kN and a total prestressing force of around 12,000 kN were used.
Challenges
The complex boundary conditions of the construction site were particularly demanding. Traffic over the Ponte della Torretta as well as on the six-lane Gotthard motorway running underneath it had to be maintained at all times during the work.
The Ticino River and the immediately adjacent power plant also posed special requirements for the planning and execution of the launching operations.