A temporary bridge across the Ölfusá River was lifted into place last Friday. The bridge connects the flood barrier on the eastern bank of the river to a concrete foundation on Efri-Laugardælaeyja. The bridge will serve construction traffic to the island, where foundations need to be built for a 60-metre-tall tower for the new Ölfusá Bridge.
Considerable time was spent on preparations, but the actual lifting operation went smoothly and swiftly. Lifting began around 5 p.m., and the bridge was in place about twenty minutes later. DS Lausnir ehf. carried out the lifting, using a 400 tonne-metre crane — the largest crane in Iceland.
The bridge was supplied by Acrow, a UK-based company, and is the same type as the new portable pedestrian and cycling bridge over Sæbraut in Reykjavík. It arrived in Iceland unassembled and it took five men two days to put it together — two days faster than the manufacturer had anticipated. The bridge weighed 44 tonnes when lifted by the crane, but once the bridge deck is in place, its total weight will be 68 tonnes.
In the coming days, finishing work on the bridge will be carried out: back walls need to be cast, the bridge deck installed, fixings secured, and the surrounding earth backfilled. This is expected to take approximately one week.
Source: Sunnlenska.is
