Demolished in 47 hours!

47 hours - that’s all the time Afcons took to demolish the existing IC44 Bridge No 3 to continue on its course to complete the South Surra Road Project in the State of Kuwait. Touted as one of the fastest bridge demolitions in the whole of Middle East, this activity is yet another example of efficient execution displayed by Afconians.

The road project is at the heart of the bustling city, and this critical bridge, one of the busiest. Demolishing it would mean closure of the intersection point of Road 40 and Road 404, and consequently, inconveniencing thousands of commuters. In view of this, the MOI of Kuwait gave Afcons a deadline of 60 hours to complete the entire process. The team braced for the challenge and pledged to complete the work in lesser amount of time and making the road operational for public.

This necessitated homework in form precise planning. Temporary steel bridges were constructed for the traffic detour during the process of demolition of IC44 Bridge No 3. Traffic diversions were put into place, with vehicles diverted from Bayan towards the city, and from Hateen to Ahmadi, avoiding the temporary bridge. Diversions were put into place between Ahmadi and the city through the existing ramp.

The temporary bridges were opened on December 8, 2019. The demolition activity began at 6pm on December 19 by fixing the soil underneath the existing bridge. After demolishing both parts of the bridge, the team began breaking the bridge and abutment. Four hydraulic breakers were deployed per span and were operated in a sequence to control vibrations. The accuracy in planning and execution ensured these critical activities were completed in about 35 hours.

This was followed by the process of clearing the debris, and the team first broke down the concrete slabs into small pieces and segregation of steel and HT strands. The segregated material was then loaded into dumpers, and barriers were placed along the roads before they were opened for traffic at 5pm on December 21.

The team had an eye on environment and safety throughout the operation. To control dust, water was sprinkled throughout the activity and breakers were operated in a sequence to control noise and vibration. False arrestors were erected on order to protect the existing temporary bridges. There was continuous monitoring to assure the safe movement of breakers and excavators.

This activity is testimony of Afcons’ commitment to executing all its projects with precision and diligence. The records are merely incidental!

Scroll down to view the bridge demolition video