October 15 - During a record-breaking operation, Mammoet successfully replaced a 2,100-tonne bridge over one of Ottawa's major highways.
Hundreds of onlookers watched the replacement of the Lees Avenue bridge in Ontario - with Mammoet claiming it was the heaviest item ever lifted over a freeway.
Using 96-axles of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT), the bridge was successfully installed within the planned timeframe. The SPMT is a platform vehicle co-developed by Mammoet and Scheuerle and is used for its exceptional weight-bearing capabilities, its versatility and its capacity to keep the load level under any circumstances.
"This heavy lift project was well planned and executed and an excellent example of the teamwork required to deliver the Highway 417 component of the OLRT Project. This project was another first in North America; the heaviest lift of a multi-span structure over a freeway to date," said Steve Cripps, director Rail Implementation Office, City of Ottawa.
The bridge design made for a complex lift with its curved shape making it more difficult to align the transporters beneath the structure. The lift was scheduled to take between four and six hours, but the operation was concluded in just 2.5 hours allowing for a swift reopening of the freeway.
The project was covered by Discovery Channel's Daily Planet and a video can be viewed here.
