Description
This is the longest expressway of Poland that links the area of Bielsko-Biala with Slovakia. The stretch between this Polish city to Żywiec is a dual carriageway road, while the Slovakian part will be only single lane with the possibility to add a second one in the future.
The project comprises the construction of the "Krakowska" exit having a diamond shape and the "Mikuszowice" exit being irregularly structured, and includes the redesign of the road to suit the requirements of the new expressway.
The primary structure is the overpass WS10. With four lanes and pre-stressed double beam bridge deck, it reaches a length of 460 m. ULMA always provided the most cost-effective solution for all structures.
ULMA solution
The ENKOFORM HMK system was chosen as bridge deck formwork capable of adapting to any section with standard system components. The Shoring System T-60 supported the formwork at more than 15 m height. It notably speeded up the construction process, and secured the load transfer.
The overpass WS10 over the Biala River bridges a 24 m span with profiles resting on MK towers adapting to the specific geometries. Due to the characteristics of the structure, the concrete placement was done in 20 stages (5 stages per each lane). The longest bridge deck section poured was 159.3 m, and 60 m the shortest.
All level crossings, road entrances and exits were abolished; instead several overpasses with spans of up to 15 m were designed and solved with ALUPROPs for an unhindered flow of traffic.
