New 70 metre high bridge built with Doka formwork

The 7-field bridge is supported by six piers, some of which reach a height of up to 66 m. ©Doka

Max Bögl Group is building a new vehicular bridge across the Aftetal Valley in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, using automatic self-climbing formwork from specialist access provider Doka.

Supported by six piers measuring up to 66 metres high, the new Aftetal bridge will be 800 metres long and will stand over the valley at a height of almost 70 metres.

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It is being built as bypass for the town of Bad Wünnenberg, which is situated between the larger town of Brilon and the city of Paderborn.

The bridge aims to reduce traffic congestion, while also making the 55km journey between Brilon and Paderborn easier for vehicle users.

Max Bögl, the project’s main construction and engineering contractor, chose Doka to install its SKE100 plus automatic climbing formwork, so that it could carry out concreting works to the bridge’s piers.

After works to a pier were completed, the SKE100 plus platforms were lifted off and installed on the next to save time and money. ©Doka

Speaking about the new Aftetal bridge, Matthias Urban, project manager for Doka, said, “It is an imposing, very long and wide bridge, and the piers are very massive. You don’t get that very often.”

Climbing distances of between five and six metres at a time, the fully hydraulic system enabled site operatives to work on the giant supporting columns, up to the base of the bridge’s V-shaped pier heads.

According to formwork specialist Doka, Max Bögl then deployed the Doka Forming wagon TU - an un­der­s­lung bridge edge beam formwork - to facilitate the creation of the structure’s cantilevered parapets and parapet wall. 

Construction of the Bad Wünnenberg bypass, of which the Aftetal bridge is the “centrepiece” began in 2016. It is due to open for public use in the spring of 2022.