Four Liebherr LTC 1050-3.1s build THW’s 70-metre Danube bridge

The temporary bridge replaces a Danube crossing due for demolition and will carry traffic for around two years while a new bridge is built. As part of a civil defence exercise, a large THW contingent pre-assembled the building-height truss structure from hundreds of individual parts in just two weeks – five days ahead of schedule – with the four LTC 1050-3.1s doing the lifting.

Short crane for a crowded yard

Space on the pre-assembly site was the defining constraint. The cranes shared the yard with stored steel, lorries, forklifts, telehandlers and access platforms. On some units the THW removed the front storage box, trimming vehicle length to 10.35 metres and making the already compact 50-tonner easier still to manoeuvre between the stacks.

All four cranes carried the optional height-adjustable operator’s cab, which the THW specified across its order – and the operators made constant use of it.

“Especially when building bridges, the height-adjustable cab is simply unbeatable for me. Particularly when assembling the upper steel sections, having a direct view of my colleagues from a height of seven metres is, of course, a major safety benefit.”

— Niklas Stein, crane operator, THW Müllheim

Stein belongs to one of 16 volunteer specialist groups for bridge construction that the THW maintains across Germany, which regularly erect temporary bridges to keep their skills current.

18-strong compact crane fleet

The THW took delivery of the first of 18 LTC 1050-3.1s from Liebherr’s Ehingen plant two years ago, replacing the loader cranes it previously relied on for such work.

“With the new Liebherr LTC 1050-3.1s, we are now in a much stronger position and can complete projects such as this temporary bridge in less time. Here in Tuttlingen, we were even five days ahead of schedule.”

— Patrick Weisser, operation coordinator, THW

Tandem finish with two LTM 1650-8.1s

Once the four truss segments – each weighing around 100 tonnes – were complete, they were transported several hundred metres to the river and joined into a continuous structure by the compact cranes. The bridge was then pushed roughly halfway across the Danube before two Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile cranes, supplied by MSG Krandienst GmbH and Scholpp Kran & Transport GmbH, lifted it in tandem from both banks onto its abutments.