A special moment in development of prefab composite bridges: the 1000th prefab composite bridge with InfraCore® Inside from Rotterdam-based FiberCore Europe has been ordered and will be located in the Municipality of Tholen. The bridge is part of a project by Aquavia (part of KWS) of Sas van Gent, in which three composite bridges are being installed. These are not the first composite bridges for the Municipality of Tholen; four bridges were previously delivered by FiberCore. The bridge is expected to be installed this summer.
The bridge represents a milestone in the young history of composite as a structural material for bridge construction. FiberCore was at the forefront of this revolutionary development.
History is being made
In 2007, FiberCore Europe installed the world's first prefabricated composite bridge in Dronten. With the development of InfraCore® technology, FiberCore was able to deliver high-quality structures. The bridges are also durable, low-maintenance and will last at least 100 years. A milestone for FiberCore and the first step for the use of prefab composite bridges in the construction and infra sector, where people were introduced to the unique properties of our bridges.
1,000 bridges: a milestone
By mid-2020, FiberCore Europe has developed, designed and produced (more than) a thousand structures. Not only bridges and bridge decks, but also lock gates. Including the largest prefab composite lock gates in the world in the Wilhelminakanaal near Tilburg, commissioned by the Department of Public Works. But the longest prefabricated composite bridges in the world also come from FiberCore's Rotterdam plant. The Canada Bridges in Bruges, Belgium, currently holds the record for the longest one-piece prefabricated bridge section (42 meters). The longest prefab composite bridge (without intermediate supports, 37 meters) is over the Noord-Om in Gemert. With each project, FiberCore moved a step closer to recognition of composite as a construction material in infra.
Recognized building material
Meanwhile, composite is a recognized building material in (bridge) construction and infra. FiberCore bridges with InfraCore® Inside are built to fit the Eurocode and CUR 96:2019; the standards for safe construction. The bridges are durable, maintenance-free and fit into a circular economy; they are completely and easily repositionable. And that's not a crazy idea, with bridges lasting more than 100 years.