Construction work in an active port area introduces special challenges. They need to be carried out particularly quickly to minimise the impact on cargo throughput and port revenues. At the same time, excellent structural resistance to vibrations from freight trains had to be ensured. Both of these challenges were successfully managed and solved in the course of this project.

The purpose of the new viaduct was to relieve the part of the city adjacent to the port from the congestion previously caused by freight transport and railways. Moreover, the impressive structure — 550 tonnes of steel and almost 300 cubic metres of concrete — had to be filigreed into the existing port infrastructure. The solution required the construction of a flyover with atypically small viaduct curvature. To avoid the risk of the structure lifting, the bearings used in the design to anchor the viaduct to the pillars are significantly larger and heavier than usual.

As one of the port’s railway branches had to be closed during the work, the client set a particularly tight deadline of three months. Exactly three months later, traffic was restored — precisely on schedule.

To ensure the long-term viability of the flyover in such close proximity to the railway, the structure of the retaining walls was modified. The original proposed design involved construction of the monolithic retaining walls, but the vibrations caused by the movement of freight trains pose a risk of damage in the long term. Therefore, during the course of the project, LNK Industries’ specialists designed and manufactured unique retaining wall structures that significantly reduced the impact of vibrations. Moreover, the manufacturing work was carried out under extremely tight deadlines.

As a result, the flyover doesn’t just have a practical significance — soon after its inauguration, it became one of the city’s visual landmarks.