Repaired bank reinforcement restores traffic safety
Berlin's waterways are of great importance to Berlin as an industrial location. For example, the 520-tonne gas turbines from the Siemens plant in Moabit are loaded onto ships from a heavy-load ramp built in 2012 on the Charlottenburg Verbindungskanal. Shortly after the Kaiserin-Augusta Bridge, the existing bank reinforcement in the direction of the Sickingen Bridge had caved in over a length of around 6 m and slid into the canal. Therefore, for reasons of traffic safety, it was rehabilitated over a length of 230 m in an early measure, including other areas that were in danger of collapsing.
Tried and tested processes guarantee durability of the anchors
The Charlottenburg Verbindungskanal was built between 1872 and 1875 according to the plans of the Prussian General Garden Director Peter Joseph Lenné and later extended with bank reinforcements made of clinker masonry. As part of the repair work, these will be replaced by vegetated embankments and permanently secured by anchored sheet pile walls. On the left bank between km 0.62 and km 0.85, the special civil engineering experts constructed permanent tie bars with a diameter of 40 mm up to 24 m in length made of prestressing steel 950/1050. The required suitability tests were successfully carried out. Branch manager Patrick Günther explains: "Permanent anchors have to secure slopes and terrain jumps for 50 years and more. Therefore, particularly high demands are placed on the load-bearing capacity and durability of bearing elements and anchor heads. The most important point is the careful execution of corrosion protection at the anchor head. These processes are defined in detail at Stump-Franki and the construction site personnel receive ongoing training."
