Installation of spans on the so-called “Venice Flyover” – Nowa Bulońska

From mid-June, the installation works of the flyover elements on the construction of the tram line in Nowa Bulońska St. have been underway. This unique design is modelled on the arched bridges that the ancient Romans built. The entire structure is innovative and is the result of the work of Polish Engineers. Interestingly, only a year has passed since the beginning of the design work.

On the construction of a new tram line in Gdańsk, the contractor, NDI based in Sopot, has been conducting a key process for the construction of the bridge structure for a month. 77 prefabricated elements (4 spans) have already been assembled, with a span of 20 metres, which is half the scope of the support structure. Prefabrication of span elements takes place at the construction site and the last few elements are yet to be completed.

In total, there will be 154 prefabricated elements. The spans are made of reinforced concrete shells prefabricated next to the flyover and designed for assembly using a crane. 20-metre-long prefabricated elements are mounted as one element on supports, thanks to which they do not have locks for casting or concrete joints – structural elements that are subject to degradation in the first place. For the first time in Poland, a multi-span arch scheme was used on several-metre-long supports.
The flyover structure was invented in close cooperation of NDI Engineers and Tymon Galewski, the owner of the GTI design studio in Gdańsk. NDI wanted to offer the City of Gdańsk a structure that is durable, efficient in maintenance and – not less importantly – original in its form. Arched bridges covered with soil have existed since Roman times and can remain in service even for 2000 years. A very old concept was applied for Nowa Bulońska St., hence the engineers called the structure under construction the “Venetian Flyover”, due to its similarities to the Roman arches, but in a completely innovative version.

The flyover in Nowa Bulońska St. will have high utility values. The use of arched structure covered with soil will allow for good silencing of vehicle traffic on the structure, incomparably better than on typical structures, e.g. on steel beams. Under the structure there are areas that can be arranged in an attractive way for all kinds of recreation, e.g. playing fields.
The current progress of work reaches almost 80%.

‘The bituminous layers of roadways and bicycle paths, pavements as well as track structures in ¾ of the scope are laid out practically throughout the whole section. Finishing works and assembly of accompanying infrastructure elements, including lighting, tram overhead line, traffic lights, and noise barriers, are underway. Three buildings are also implemented as a part of the investment,’ says Sylwia Rogall, Project Director at NDI.

After the summer holidays, NDI plans to hand over the newly built sections of the route, including the section from Stara Bulońska St. to Wołkowyska St., the section of Nowa Bulońska St. from the junction with Warszawska St. to Jabłoniowa St. along with access to the newly built School, including facilitating access from Jabłoniowa St. to the WZ route.

The investment is a part of the Strategic Development Programme of the Południe District for the years 2014-2020, developed by the city authorities. The task is carried out as a part of the Gdańsk Public Transport Programme (pl. Gdański Program Komunikacji Miejskiej) –GPKM stage IVa. The contractor is a consortium of companies led by NDI S.A. from Sopot.
The value of the contract is PLN 192 million. The investment is co-financed from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment for 2014-2020. The EU co-financing amounts to PLN 58.5 million.