Tshopo River Bridge
Facts and Figures:
Place/Country: Kisangani / Dem. Rep. Congo
Completion: 2014
Project type: Panel Bridges, Bailey-type Bridges
Client: Office des Routes, Dem. Rep. Congo
Description:
Generally transport across the DR Congo is severely limited. It is a country crisscrossed by many streams and rivers, where the rainy season nearly always causes the earth roads to be barely passable. Of all the routes in eastern Congo, National Route 4 is the route most frequently used. Being part of a transcontinental highway between East and West Africa, its upkeep is critical for delivering aid and food to and from that area. Bridges are rudimentary more often than not. Replacement of such structures is therefore a top priority.
The old Tshopo Falls Bridge on the outskirts of Kisangani was one of those structures. In 2014, it was replaced by a modern panel bridge. The new 163-metre structure was supplied by Waagner-Biro and provides increased capacity and improved safety for road vehicles and pedestrians alike. It is a single-lane Bailey-type bridge with a 4.20-metre steel deck. Fitted along the main truss are two walkways. The single spans are 18.3m, 39.6m, 54.9m and 42.7m.
Construction took a total of four months to complete, during which time the old bridge was first dismantled, the piers rehabilitated, and the four new steel structures coupled together and pushed over four abutments and two piers.
