November 1 - Mammoet, in cooperation with BAM Infra, has installed a prefabricated roundabout in Gemert, the Netherlands.
This project was carried out following a commission by the Dutch province Noord Brabant as part of a new ring road to the southeast of the village of Gemert.
The roundabout, which has a diameter of 52 m and a total weight of 1,300 tons (1,179 tonnes), is connected to an existing road which is heavily used by bicycles.
By constructing the roundabout off-site, months of traffic diversions, congestion and reduced traffic safety were avoided, says Mammoet.
According to Mammoet, the most cost-effective installation method was to pull the roundabout to its final destination while sliding over steel beams, acting as a guide rail system.
Mammoet first placed six hydraulic jacks behind the roundabout to push it free from its temporary foundation, before using four strand-jacks to pull the roundabout over a distance of 50 m.
To allow for the use of strand-jacks, pulling points were incorporated into the concrete structure. Next to these, steel plates were poured into the concrete bottom of the roundabout to act as sliding points for the steel guide rails.
After preparation works were carried out, the move itself took approximately six hours.
According to Mammoet, while it has used the principle of sliding entire prefabricated constructions into place in many tunnel and bridge construction projects, it has never been applied on a roundabout anywhere in the world.
