December 21 - Aertssen has repositioned the two Mexico Bridges in the Het Eilandje district of Antwerp.
The bridges were excavated and removed for refurbishment earlier in 2016. Het Eilandje, a former port area, is being redeveloped into a residential and recreational part of the Belgian city.
The listed structures were renovated at Aelterman's workshop in Gent. Once the restoration works were completed, the two bridges were loaded onto pontoons using two sets of 12 axle lines of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) and sailed to Antwerp.
Upon arrival, the bridges were turned on the deck of the pontoon using the SPMTs. The bridges were installed using a Demag AC700 mobile crane and a second set of 12 SPMTs (two sets of six axles, side by side). The second set of SPMTs drove along the top of the first set of SPMTs to eliminate the distance between the pontoon and the quay wall.
The upper set supported the heaviest part of the bridge, including balance weight. By lowering the SPMTs hydraulically on one side of the river, while using the mobile crane on the other side, the bridge was installed in its final position.
