Hendriks precon supports construction of Theemsweg Route with pillar formworkSpace for growing traffic flows
The Havenspoorlijn railway line in the Rotterdam port area, the first segment of the Betuwe Route, will be relocated. The new more than 4-kilometre track section, the Theemsweg Route, will be completed by the end of 2021 and is a solution for the capacity bottleneck at the Calandbrug bridge near Rozenburg.
By relocating the Havenspoorlijn railway line in the Rotterdam port area to the Theemsweg road, railway traffic will no longer cross the Calandbrug bridge in the near future and trains will no longer be inconvenienced by bridge openings for shipping traffic. The Theemsweg Route is approximately 4 km long and runs from the Merseyweg, across an elevated railway viaduct along the Theemsweg and via the Neckarweg to the Moezelweg. The tracks pass across two arch bridges (near the Thomassen Tunnel and the Rozenburg Locks) and near the A15 motorway reconnect to the existing railway line. The construction of the Theemsweg Route requires adjustments to roads, tracks, cables and pipeline sections.
The substructure for the Theemsweg Route will be constructed by the contracting consortium SaVe composed of Besix, Dura Vermeer, Mobilis/Tbi, Hollandia & Iemants/Smulders. The Theemsweg Route Construction Combination SaVe has contracted subcontractor Hendriks precon for the pillars of the new elevated railway viaduct.
Steel pillar formwork
A large number of pillars will be constructed for the Theemsweg Route substructure. The pillars all have the same shape and are set approximately 30 metres apart. The pillars range from approximately 3 to 12 metres in height. Because the pillars are in plain view, the surface is constructed in accordance with CUR100 Class B1.
Four pillar formworks developed and supplied by Hendriks precon will be used for the construction of the pillars. Pieter Deleu, Work Planner with the SaVe contractor consortium: “The construction of the pillars is repetitive work and has a limited number of construction variants. We settled on steel formwork for this purpose. The pillar formwork is rectangular with a basic dimension of 2.50 x 1.25 metres. The formwork consists of four parts that can be used to create different heights in 25 cm increments. The smallest pillar is 3 metres high, the largest is 12 metres high. In total, Hendriks precon supplied six formwork sections that are interchangeable.”
All parts of the pillar formwork are mutually interchangeable and can be used for a maximum concrete pressure of 80 kN/m2. Before the in-situ pouring of a pillar, the centreless formwork is attached to the underlying pad foundation. After the concrete is poured and has cured, the prefab pillar tables are placed on top of the pillars. To be able to precisely pour the dowels, the formwork is supplied with a dowel frame. The formwork is furthermore provided with all necessary safety systems, such as a fully secured pouring platform and an integrated cage ladder.
Hendriks precon: pillar specialist
Hendriks precon possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience that enables it to fully design its products in 3D for developing, engineering and producing customised pillar formwork. In the design, the idea the architect or the designer has in mind is converted into a formwork design that makes it possible to create even the most complex shapes. Pieter Deleu: “When we need this type of formwork, Hendriks precon is the first company that comes to mind. The level of cooperation is excellent, agreements are effectively adhered to and people know what is required to be able to build efficiently.”