Bridge crossing the Úhlava River near Pilsen

"Most pres Uhlavu", Pilsen, Czech Republic

Most pres Uhlavu-bridge translated from the Czech language means "bridge crossing the Úhlava river". This bridge is an important part of a new 22 km long expressway bypass around the city of Pilsen which in turn is part of a 151 km long connection from Prague via Pilsen to the German border near Waidhaus, now being completed as a continuous expressway.

The bridge has an overall length of 445 m, a width of 27.5 m and is founded on a total of 9 piers. The overall costs for these construction works amount to about EUR 19 million. A precast segmental concrete bridge design was chosen in order to complete the construction project in the shortest amount of time possible. About 400 precast concrete segments were produced in a precast concrete products plant near Prague.

The entire transverse post-tensioning including 1,600 SDR anchorages was also installed and posttensioned in the precast concrete products plant. Subsequently, the precast elements were delivered to the construction site just in time. The individual segments were temporarily post-tensioned with DYWIDAG Threadbars during lifting in place by means of movable scaffolding.

For the internal post-tensioning DSI licensee SM 7 A.S. supplied a total of 310 t DYWIDAG Bonded Multistrand Tendons 0.62" gr 1570/1770 MPa and 1,032 MA anchorages. In addition, SM 7 A.S. supplied 72 t external PE sheathed DYWIDAG Strand Tendons type 19x0.62" gr 1570/1770 MPa and 64 anchorages.

The precast concrete segments were temporarily post-tensioned during installation with about 5 t DYWIDAG Threadbars Ø 32 mm that were also supplied by SM7 A.S.. Completion and opening of the Pilsen bypass is scheduled for October 2006.