 | Longest Viaduct in Lithuania Post-Tensioned with DYWIDAG Strand TendonsEstacade Viaduct, Vilnius, LithuaniaDue to its geographical situation, Lithuania serves as an interface between East and West as well as North and South. This fact constantly increases Lithuania’s attractiveness for logistics and transport. In addition, traffic also increases because of the country’s rapid economic growth.
This is clearly demonstrated in the radial highways and arterial roads in its capital Vilnius. During morning rush hour, approximately 8,000 vehicles crowd at the intersection of the two northern radial highways Ukmergès and Gelezinio Vilko each day.
An additional narrowing exists at the roundabout approximately 300m south of the intersection, where incoming and outgoing traffic meets traffic crossing the city from East to West.
In order to allow traffic to flow more smoothly at this highly frequented hub, the city of Vilnius has constructed an elevated crossing over Gelezinio Vilko Road that connects the Konstitucijos Main Road with Ukmergès Road.
The 14.25m wide deck, constructed with posttensioned concrete box girders, accommodates three lanes in one direction. With its length of 247m, this viaduct is the longest so far in Lithuania. Construction was estimated to have cost nearly 10.5 million Euros.
Difficult geological conditions and heavy traffic posed special challenges during the construction of the viaduct. It was therefore very important to install and post-tension the tendons as quickly as possible at the three concreting sections. The DYWIDAG Strand Post-Tensioning System perfectly fulfills these requirements and offers highest possible stability in challenging ground conditions.
Through their licensee in Lithuania, UAB Delta Nova, DSI Austria supplied a total of 140t of DYWIDAG 19x0.62" type MA Strand Tendons, and provided the necessary tensioning jacks. Thanks to the excellent timing of everyone involved, the viaduct was opened to traffic in July 2007, four months ahead of schedule. |