Bridge "Pont des écrevisses"

The Export department had the pleasure of participating in the technical worksite of the Pont des Ecrevisses on the RN 3 in Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe. The bridge's piers, built in the 50s, were weakened by storm Fiona a few years ago, forcing the implementation of traffic restrictions that disrupted the daily lives of local residents.

Grands Travaux Antillais (GTA), in collaboration with Routes de Guadeloupe (road manager and project manager), was commissioned by RÉGION GUADELOUPE, the contracting authority, to carry out reinforcement work to make the bridge safe as quickly as possible.

To achieve this, GTA called on Altrad Coffrage & Etaiement in partnership with our sister subsidiary RMD Kwikform to install two 12m-high Megashor and Slimshor shoring bents to take the whole of the deck's dead weight and service loads (around 750 tonnes).

In December 2023, over 60 tonnes of equipment were delivered from England.

One of the special features of this project was the installation of a connected tool enabling continuous web monitoring of the shoring via the local 3G network, and autonomous operation using solar energy.

Megashor rocking heads equipped with 55mm diameter connected prop brace pins were assembled on the 8 feet identified as being the most heavily loaded. The pins were pre-calibrated to measure and transmit load and temperature information in real time. Various alerts were defined to inform the parties concerned when loads reached user-selected thresholds. Following conclusive load tests in January 2024, the traffic restrictions were lifted and the structure is once again fully operational for the 3000 or so people living in the area.

Eventually, however, the "pont des Écrevisses" will have to be rebuilt.