Much more than a bridge and a tunnel – outstanding Duna Group projects recognised by the construction industry

At the festive general meeting of the National Association of Building Contractors on 10 December the best achievements in the construction industry were recognised in numerous areas. At the gala held at the Pesti Vigadó, the experts of Duna Group received awards for two outstanding developments in recent years:

• last June Tomori Pál Bridge handed over in the Paks and Kalocsa region,
• and last December The Sopron tunnel, completed together with the final section of the M85 motorway

Its successful projects have been recognised by the industry; both investments were carried out by Duna Group as general contractor.

The former investment won the Construction Industry Quality Award in the transport facility category, while the latter won a Certificate of Recognition in the infrastructure construction category. In addition, Attila Kerékgyártó, project manager of Dömper Kft. belonging to Duna Group, received the Construction Creator Award as the technical manager responsible for the construction of the transport structures on the M85 section in question.

With the help of two key figures, our newspaper brings readers closer to these successful projects: we spoke with Pál Tomori about the bridge and István Wunderlich, project manager of Duna Aszfalt Zrt., while we talked with Attila Kerékgyártó about the Sopron tunnel.

This size has intensified both the organisation and the scheduling.

In response to a question about the Tomori Pál Bridge built between Kalocsa and Paks, István Wunderlich acknowledged that the project was also a significant milestone in terms of the development of Duna Group. „This is the longest continuous bridge structure since the establishment of our company's Bridge Construction Directorate,” the expert pointed out. „This size made the on-site organisation and scheduling very challenging, both in the floodplain area, which is already narrow and bordered by the Natura 2000 zone, and on the Danube itself.”

The construction of the Tomori Pál Bridge is also of historic significance for the entire bridge-building industry: it is the first extradosed bridge structure over the Danube, the third of its kind in Hungary and the largest of its kind to date. „We consider it groundbreaking in terms of its dimensions, the construction management employed, the materials used and the geographical and environmental conditions that determined its construction,” said István Wunderlich.

Along with the new bridge, an excellent bridge-building team was also born.

This unique solution naturally presented additional challenges. „The structural forces involved in an extradosed structure are extremely complex, both in the final state and during construction. Its implementation required an even higher level of quality management, quality control and technological discipline than is normally required in bridge construction.” At our request, he also explained that the advantage of this structure lies in the use of stiffening materials and its overall structural height: „The extradosed system allows for the construction of economical, slender structures with large spans.”

In closing, the project manager highlighted the progress made thanks to the bridge project. „Many of our colleagues matured, grew and learned a great deal during this project. It is a source of pride to see where we started in terms of individual quality and where we have arrived as a team!”

The experience gained here can provide a solid framework for the next domestic tunnel construction project.

At the year-end congress, the experts from Duna Group were also affected by the Sopron tunnel built on the M85 motorway, which crosses the Bécsi hill, and which was even more groundbreaking. Attila Kerékgyártó recalled that the task was very difficult for the designers and contractors, among other things because the domestic regulatory environment was not yet fully developed with regard to tunnel construction. „Constant consultation was needed with the various authorities, disaster management and other organisations in order to develop a system that was optimal for road users, the controlling authorities and the specialist services.”

At the same time, the expert also pointed out that they are endeavouring to make the most of the experience gained here. „We have made many suggestions for fine-tuning, which have been positively received by our colleagues at the Ministry of Construction, and which could lead to better tendering and better contractual terms for the next domestic tunnel construction project.” He added that by defining the technical parameters in the regulatory system, the next tunnel construction project would already have an information base that they were only able to compile for the Sopron tunnel from international experience.

It was a fitting conclusion to a series of projects.

After the project manager received the Construction Creativity Award for the success of the investment, we asked Attila Kerékgyártó about his personal involvement. „It is an incredible honour to receive any award from the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers, especially at such a prestigious and renowned event. I think this is the dream of every engineer to some extent.”

He explained that, even looking back over the past year, he still considers this project to be the pinnacle of his career. „In addition to being a unique engineering feat, in my opinion, it also provided a beautiful conclusion to the projects carried out on the M85 motorway (the team of experts also played a key role in the construction of several previous sections of the motorway – ed.). However, as I often say, this is not my achievement, but that of my colleagues who participated in the project!”