Rader Hochbrücke: Building on the water
Nadine, what does your professional career look like?
After completing my degree in civil engineering, I opted for the trainee program at Implenia to gain a comprehensive insight into all areas. I started in TDO, Implenia's technical office, then switched to the BIM station in tunnel construction on the Marienhof project, where I worked in work preparation for three months. I then switched to planning coordination and have now been responsible for the water construction site on the Rader Hochbrücke project for six months.
What do you do here every day?
As site manager for the hydraulic engineering site, I coordinate the work in Lake Borgstedt. This mainly involves communicating between a wide range of subcontractors, such as the specialist foundation engineers, the barge masters and the captain of our tugboat and equipment transporter.
LET OUR TEAM SHOW YOU AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION SITE!
What is your personal highlight in this job?
My highlight is the hydraulic construction site. Here I was able to support the planning of the jetties, the placement and configuration of the jack-up platforms, barges and pontoons as well as the dolphins during the work preparation phase. I then gained an insight into the planning of the engineering and steel construction in the planning coordination department. The special thing is that, as part of my trainee programme, I was also involved in the construction management of the project and was therefore able to supervise the mobilization of the jack-up platforms, the transport to the construction site and the production of the bored piles.
What are the challenges of this task?
As we're laying three piers in the water, delivery is a challenge. The bored piles are being produced from two jack-up platforms, which means we have a delivery via pontoons and barges as well as an equipment carrier. The piles reach down to a depth of 40 meters and the drill pipes have a diameter of 1.8 meters. We drill twelve piles per axis. Sand and drilling material are first stored in barges and then transported to the shore by our tugboat, where they are dredged from land
Why did you choose Implenia as an employer?
I chose the trainee program at Implenia because I can put together my own stations from a large number of projects. For example, I ended up in Munich at Marienhof, working on the expansion of the second main line; and now here in the north, on the Rader High Bridge.
"I recommend the trainee program at Implenia to anyone who wants to gain a comprehensive insight into execution after studying civil engineering"
Nadine Bendt
Would you recommend the trainee program to others?
Definitely! Anyone who wants to gain a comprehensive insight into construction after graduating as a civil engineer should consider joining Implenia as a trainee.
The Rader High Bridge project
Under the technical leadership of Implenia, a consortium is constructing the replacement of the Rader Hochbrücke / BAB A7 highway bridge on behalf of DEGES. The new highway bridge is 1,500 m long and 42 m high and carries the A7 east of Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, over the Kiel Canal and the Borgstedter Enge. The bridge is a steel composite construction and plays an important role for traffic to and from Denmark and Scandinavia.
Location: Borgstedt, Germany
Construction volume (Implenia services). CHF 103.608 million
Start of construction: January 2023
Completion: December 2026
Client: DEGES (Deutsche Einheit Fernstrassenplanungs und -bau GmbH)