Efficient preparation sped up the demolition of the bridge over the M5 motorway

Thanks to the rapid progress of the works, the removal of the bridge girders was completed on 10 March, marking a key milestone in the development of the M44 expressway. Our newspaper regularly reports on the junction being built as part of the Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium investment and the Hódút Építő Kft. project, which is being constructed at the junction of the M44, the M5 motorway and the 5 main road in the Kecskemét area.

Once the initial adjustments had been made, traffic was able to flow smoothly

As part of the project in question, the beams above the right-hand lane of the old bridge that previously carried Main Road 5 over the motorway were dismantled. Consequently, the lanes of the motorway heading towards Szeged had to be closed for the duration of the works, with traffic diverted to the other carriageway – as reported in our previous report indicated.

The demolition work on 10 March presented a major traffic management challenge, as it required temporary changes to the traffic flow on a busy motorway – according to a report sent to our newspaper. The diversions were carried out in accordance with a pre-planned and approved traffic management plan, with particular attention paid to appropriate signage and clear diversion routes.

„Thanks to careful preparation, everything went smoothly, so once the initial adjustments had been made, traffic was able to flow largely uninterrupted,” they wrote in the summary.

The rough cuts had already been completed

In addition to the challenges posed by traffic diversions, the demolition work required several days of logistical preparation: from establishing the crane’s base to determining the necessary manpower. „Prior to the lift, there was extensive coordination with the specialist contractor, the operator and within our own team.”

The report particularly highlighted the rapid implementation of the operations. 

„The preliminary cuts had already been made in preparation for the lifting, so we were able to complete the lifting operations on the same day. As a result, all that remained in the following days was to remove the beams and dismantle the substructure,” they emphasised.

There has been another traffic diversion

As the next step in the bridge demolition, on Thursday 19 March, the girders of the section of the bridge spanning the Budapest branch of the motorway (spans „C-D”) were removed, for which traffic diversions were again put in place – this time diverting traffic heading towards Budapest. The summary also revealed that, in this phase of the project, the beams of the „A-B” and „D-E” spans had already been removed previously. The demolition of the „A” and „D” bridge abutments and their embankments had also been completed beforehand.

They added that the head beam of support „B” had also been dismantled, and that the dismantling of the piers was largely complete. The dismantling of the external pier protection coping had also been completed.