A preliminary investigation of the potential benefits of using the ASTRA Bridge for short-span bridge deck refurbishment projects in Switzerland


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Date

2024

Publication Type

Journal Article

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yes

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Abstract

How bridge refurbishment projects are performed requires a trade-off between the speed and cost of the project and the amount of traffic disturbances during the project. A possible way to help reach a better balance between these two extremes is the ASTRA Bridge developed in Switzerland. The ASTRA Bridge is a 236-meter long steel ramp system on wheels, which is placed on top of the bridge deck undergoing refurbishment to enable vehicles to continue to pass over the bridge while construction work progresses underneath. This study illustrates new refurbishment processes by using the ASTRA Bridge and presents the first quantitative analysis of the effects of using the ASTRA Bridge on the time, costs and traffic disturbances associated with bridge refurbishment. The bridge investigated is a short-span (50 m long) highway bridge requiring refurbishment of its superstructure. The analysis indicates that the use of the ASTRA Bridge resulted in reductions in duration and costs (14% and 3% for the example), and a substantial reduction in user costs (51% for the example). Although more analysis is required for different types of refurbishment projects, the initial results indicate that the ASTRA Bridge may become an integral part of future highway bridge refurbishment projects.

Publication status

published

Editor

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Volume

20 (11)

Pages / Article No.

1629 - 1647

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

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Edition / version

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Subject

ASTRA Bridge; construction automation; cost reduction; discrete-event simulation; highway bridges; infrastructure refurbishment; process modelling; traffic disturbances

Organisational unit

03859 - Adey, Bryan T. / Adey, Bryan T. check_circle
02655 - Netzwerk Stadt u. Landschaft ARCH u BAUG / Network City and Landscape ARCH and BAUG

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