Jacks lift new King Frederik IX bridge

Nordic Crane Heavy Lift has used its Enerpac JS-250 jack-up system to install the lift (flap) bridge on the new King Frederik IX bridge carrying railway services across the Guldborgsund strait, Denmark. Constructed next to the existing King Frederik IX bridge, the 20m lift bridge weighing 120t, was installed from a barge with a precision of less than 10mm.

The ‘new’ 300m long King Frederik IX Bridge is an expansion of the critical Guldborgsund link, allowing Denmark’s transport network to handle higher railway traffic growth linked to the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link project. MT Højgaard Danmark was responsible for supplying the flap bridge.

The new bridge features a moveable span or flap that can open for ship traffic, allowing tall ships through. The steel flap was built off-site and transported by barge, along with the Enerpac JS-250 jack-up. Once in position, the JS-250, resting on the barge deck, was deployed under the flap and raised 5m in preparation for final installation. Sailing the barge above the flap’s support pillars, the bridge was lowered on to the pillars with the final height adjustments made using the JS-250 jack-up’s adjustable top-barrel.

“The Enerpac JS-250 was very stable on the barge, allowing us to accurately position the flap,” said Paul Karlsen, COO Heavy Lift at Nordic Crane. “Also, the compactness of the JS-250 jack-up meant we were able to easily accommodate it on the barge together with the bridge flap.”

The Enerpac JS-Series jack-up system is a multi-point lifting system comprising four jack-up towers, one positioned under each corner of a load. The lifting frame of each jack-up tower contains four hydraulic cylinders, which lift and stack steel barrels. The load is lifted in increments as barrels are inserted via an automated system and stacked, forming the lifting towers. Managed by a single operator, each tower’s lifting and lowering operations occur simultaneously, while the jack-up’s synchronous technology maintains the balance of the load.