The world’s first overpass bridge to be made entirely from stainless steel is to be built in Spain, using material from Outokumpu Stainless.
The bridge is to be built in the area of Cala Galdana, one of the most popular beaches on the Mediterranean island of Menorca. It will be 55 meters long and 13 meters wide. The bridge’s load-bearing construction will be manufactured entirely of stainless steel, namely high-strength duplex steel grade (2205), whilst the actual roadway will be made of concrete.
The new bridge will replace an old concrete bridge, which has been eroded by environmental and weather conditions.
”The local environment is highly corrosive. The bridge is exposed to a combination of wind and seawater and the atmospheric humidity is also very high during most of the year. In view of this, the decision to focus exclusively on stainless steel offers considerable advantages. But esthetic values have also played a part in the materials selection process,” says Anders Finnås, Manager Technical Marketing at Outokumpu Stainless Hot Rolled Plate.
Outokumpu Stainless will deliver around 1,000 bridge components, which after being plasma cut to the proper size and shape will undergo edge preparation for welding. The plasma cutting and edge preparation will be shared by Hot Rolled Plate’s own finishing line in Sweden and Outokumpu PSC Nordic, the company’s plate service center also in Sweden. The order covers also welding material, cleaning & pickling, technical assistance and welding training.
The designer for the bridge is Juan Antonio Sobrino from Pedalta Engeering, constructor is Ferrovial-Agroman and the fabricator is Ascamon. The work will begin in October 2004 and will be finished by spring 2005.
Outokumpu Stainless has production plants in Finland, Sweden, the UK and the USA, and offers a wide range of stainless steel grades and product forms. The company employs some 9200 people, and reported net sales of EUR 3449 million in 2003.
Outokumpu Stainless Hot Rolled Plate in Degerfors is the world’s largest producer of stainless steel hot rolled individual plate. Outokumpu PSC Nordic is the leading plate service center in the Nordic region.
For further information, please contact:
Bruno Garcia, Managing Director, Outokumpu SA, Spain
tel. +34 944 93 67 74 or +34 609 405 238
Jan Eriksson, Marketing Manager, Outokumpu Stainless AB, Hot Rolled Plate
tel. +46 586 474 81 or +46 70 581 74 81
Richard Provençal, Sales and marketing manager, Avesta Welding AB Sweden
tel. +46 226 815 50 or +46 730 585 207 mobile