A changing world
Climate change is affecting transport infrastructure at local, regional, and national scale all over the world, with expectation of continued extreme events in years to come. Many countries are affected by harsh weather conditions such as sea level rise, changes in precipitation, extreme weather, and heat. These hazards affect infrastructure performance, safety, and reliability as extreme weather conditions can lead to droughts, mudslides, flooding and wild fires, which can damage roads and bridges. These damages leave local communities and rural areas isolated, without taking into account the financial impact of restoring the affected infrastructure for both local and national authorities.
Bridging the gap
While permanent bridges can take years to be replaced, there is a cost-effective solution to restoring damaged and lost infrastructure within days: the use of prefabricated modular bridging by Waagner-Biro.
No other bridge type can be built as quickly as the Waagner-Biro Panel Bridge (Bailey type). It is suitable for emergency and temporary applications. As such, these bridges are the best choice for installation in rural and remote areas with limited access for medium to heavy construction equipment. A panel bridge allows infrastructure to be rapidly restored in case of emergency calling for rapid response and accelerated construction.
Unique design features
Modular in design, the Waagner-Biro panel bridge can be easily adjusted to site conditions and load requirements.
Waagner-Biro offers a resilient bridge system made of lightweight, robust steel bridge components. All panel bridge components are hot-dip galvanized with additional corrosion protective treatment systems available for harsher site conditions (like marine environments).
With Waagner-Biro’s panel bridge system in local stock, a solution is ready to be supplied to any site. It can be installed and dismantled to be used elsewhere.
It’s a versatile and flexible bridge system which adapts more easily than any other bridge system to temporary construction, as well as emergency relief operations.
At a glance
GOALS: Re-establish connections. No population left isolated.
SPEED: Modular bridge translates into quick deployment and installation.
VERSATILITY: Adaptable to any site conditions, even if they change quickly.
LOGISTICS: Worldwide delivery / Easily loaded into ISO containers
WE ARE READY: Stock available for immediate dispatch.
Our experience speaks for itself
Soon after the development of the Waagner-Biro Panel Bridge in 2002, there was a devastating flood in Stallegg (Austria), destroying the access bridge and leaving the village cut off from the rest of the country. After a survey by the emergency response services, Waagner-Biro delivered its first emergency bridge to provide a temporary road link. Since then, Waagner-Biro has delivered many bridges to locations all around the world to support emergency response after natural disasters.
In countries like Thailand or Costa Rica, government agencies have hundreds of metres of panel bridge stock to be used for emergency and temporary applications in rural locations. Waagner-Biro panel bridges serve today to connect remote areas.
Temporary / emergency bridges have been supplied to many countries all over the world, such as Austria, France, UK, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola and DR Congo, among others.