Webuild has completed construction operations for the third and last of the steel-arched railway bridges on the Naples-Cancello section of the Naples-Bari high-speed/capacity railway line.
Each bridge weighs 2,500t, is approximately 80m long and 21m high. They were constructed using an engineering solution that minimised the impact on traffic by avoiding the local roads’ main arteries.
The final bridge was assembled on a specially-built forecourt alongside the operating road network. It was raised roughly 6m above street level using strand jack and jack ups lifting towers and then moved into its final position by 18 trailers, which distributed the weight on 104 wheeled axes. This took approximately 10 hours.
Part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) initiative, the Naples-Bari high-speed/capacity railway line was commissioned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Italiane Group) to enhance sustainability and high-speed transport in Southern Italy. Once completed, it will almost half travel time between Naples and Bari, bringing the north and south of Italy closer together.
The line is made up of 11 sections, of which Webuild is building four. These include the Naples-Cancello and Apice-Hirpinia sections, which are currently under construction and providing employment for approximately 2,400 people across 400 Italian companies. The Naples-Cancello section is 15.5km in length, with three artificial tunnels and four viaducts, while the Apice-Hirpinia section is 18km in length with three tunnels and four viaducts.
In the future, Webuild will begin construction on the 28km Hirpinia-Orsara section which has one 27km-long tunnel and the 11.8km Orsara-Bovino section, which has a tunnel just shy of 10km in length.
