Historic Swiss railway bridge renovated

In challenging conditions, a Liebherr LB 36 drilling rig was shipped by barge to the site of the historic Aare railway bridge in Switzerland as renovation work was conducted.

It was said to be a huge challenge bringing the 115-tonne machine to the bridge. It was necessary to create a small harbour, specially built on the Aare, in order to assemble the rig, which now serves as an access to the pontoon. From there, the drilling machine was transported upriver.

After days of rain, the high water level further intensified the situation, making the plan to manoeuvre the LB 36 under the bridge even more difficult.

Watch as the 130-year-old bridge undergoes its renovation using the Kelly drilling method. The contractor Birchmeier Spezialtiefbau bores 16 piles, each constituting a diameter of 1.5m with a depth of between 12 and 20m.