GRP for the side tracks of the bridge

As part of a major bridge modernization program to add capacity and improve safety by moving bicyclists away from the roadway, Fibrolux manufactured an innovative solution of pultruded composite panels for the new walkways.

 

The bridge concept, an interlocking walkway slab made of eight solid pultruded triple hollow sections with a cross-section of 500 mm x 150 mm, allowed the walkways on both sides of the bridge to be extended from 2 m to 4.5 m wide, creating safe space for cyclists. Since the existing bridge structure was unable to support the weight of the wider steel webs, the lightweight fiberglass composite structure provided the needed increase in capacity and offered project engineers a low-maintenance, cost-effective solution.

 

Fibrolux created a custom mold for the new super-sized bridge profile in 2020, before production of the 16km profiles began using a combination of composite rovings and mats. The pultruded sections were delivered to the jobsite cut to length, assembled with custom stainless steel fasteners, and then coated with a non-slip coating. This resulted in panels of approx. 4 m x 10 m, which could be lifted into position with a small crane due to the low weight of the pultruded sections.