“Astra Bridge” on Solothurn A1 has got off to a good start according to Astra
Published: Monday, Apr 8th 2024, 15:00
Updated At: Monday, Apr 8th 2024, 15:20
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The second deployment of the mobile construction site bridge "Astra-Bridge" for the renovation of the A1 highway section Recherswil-Luterbach in the canton of Solothurn has started largely without any problems. The "Astra-Bridge" in the direction of Zurich was optimized.
Traffic is flowing smoothly over the bridge and there have been no exceptional delays on the route so far, the Federal Roads Office (Astra) announced on Monday. The bridge was built over the weekend and opened to traffic on Sunday morning.
Following the problems encountered during its first use in 2022, Astra made improvements to the mobile construction site bridge. The access and exit ramps were made significantly flatter to reduce the need for drivers to slow down.
Longer and less steep
The bridge was extended by ten meters on each side. The "Astra Bridge" is around 280 meters long. The maximum permitted speed is 60 km/h.
The 7.3 meter wide and 4.32 meter high construction site bridge is located in the direction of Zurich. While the A1 traffic rolls over the bridge, the pavement underneath can be repaired over a length of one hundred meters.
Once the renovation work under the bridge has been completed, the bridge, which consists of various modules, moves 100 meters further for the next section, controlled remotely by GPS. The cost of this prestigious project by the Federal Roads Office has so far amounted to around CHF 26 million.
According to Astra, the pilot project is also a reaction to the ever shorter time windows available for night work. The bridge is expected to be in operation until mid-August.
Prevent evasive traffic
The bridge means that lanes no longer have to be reduced during construction work and vehicles do not have to be diverted to the opposite lane, the umbrella organization RoadSwitzerland wrote in a press release on Monday. The "Astra Bridge" could reduce traffic jams, avoidance traffic, the risk of accidents and noise.
Astra is closely monitoring the flow of traffic in collaboration with the Solothurn cantonal police. The aim is to prevent traffic jams beyond the known extent and avoid traffic on cantonal and municipal roads, according to the statement. If necessary, a reduction in the number of slip roads is also planned.
A construction site is a construction site
According to Astra, it relies on variable text displays that provide information about travel times on the highway, cantonal and municipal roads.
However, the Astra made it clear that the renovation work would affect the flow of traffic in the direction of Zurich. "Despite all efforts to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible, a roadworks site remains a roadworks site. There is no guarantee of an unimpeded flow of traffic," it said.
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