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In North Rhine-Westphalia, the 453-metre-long Rahmede viaduct, one of Germany’s most important infrastructure projects at present, is being fully renewed. The “steel wedding”, which involved the connecting of the bridge’s two supporting structures, has now marked the achievement of a further crucial milestone – and in record time.
Since October 2023, construction work on the replacement of the Rahmede viaduct in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which has been closed since December 2021, has been in full swing. Erected in 1968, the bridge is now being completely renewed by a consortium consisting of HABAU Hoch- und Tiefbaugesellschaft m.b.H., Bickhardt Bau SE and MCE GmbH on behalf of Autobahn GmbH. One significant milestone was reached at the end of February: in what was dubbed the “steel wedding” on the A45, the steel supporting structures of the first carriageway, inserted from the north and south sides, were joined in a precise procedure. The gap was thus closed in record time, just 16 months after the start of construction work. Operation of the first part of the structure is planned to commence in spring 2026.
“The steel wedding marks an important milestone on the path to the completion of this mega-project and underscores the successful and rapid progress of the construction work”, says Hubert Wetschnig, CEO HABAU GROUP. “Thanks to the close cooperation within the consortium, we’re implementing innovative construction techniques to ensure both top quality and efficiency. At the HABAU GROUP, we’re proud to be able to make a decisive contribution to the realisation of one of the most important and demanding infrastructure projects in Germany with our expertise.”
Construction work is right on schedule: the abutments for both carriageways have already been completed. For the concrete works of the four pairs of pillars reaching up to 70 metres in height, bored piles were first inserted into the ground, upon which the foundations and pillars were then erected. By the end of 2024, the pillars for the first carriageway had already been completed.
Steel wedding: precision work at lofty heights
the insertion of the steel supporting structures has been underway since August 2024 via incremental launching – a precise construction method in which steel structures are progressively set up in their final position. At the end of February 2025, the time had come: the launch noses at the ends of the steel structures, which were required for the insertion, were removed. The steel supporting structure on the south side was pushed further out until it met the structure from the north side, thereby closing the gap – the “steel wedding” – barely a year and a half after the start of construction. For this union, due to the differing cantilever lengths, the ends of the supporting structures had to be aligned with pinpoint accuracy before they were able to “kiss”.
Efficient synergies within the “construction family”
Within the HABAU GROUP, HABAU and MCE ensure the optimum utilisation of synergies: while HABAU is responsible for the reinforced concrete construction and overall technical coordination, MCE is in charge of all steel construction. This tight-knit cooperation allows construction processes to be efficiently coordinated and technical solutions to be optimised in no time – a key success factor for the large-scale project.
