Types of scaffolding for bridge construction, maintenance and renovation

Types of scaffolding for bridge construction, maintenance and renovation

Larger bridge construction and maintenance projects often involve the use of several types of scaffolding at the same time, for example, when the bridge substructure and the piers are scaffolded separately. Which types of scaffolding are suitable for such projects depends, as is so often the case, very much on the work to be carried out, but also on other factors such as the available floor space or transport routes to the bridge.

So, when the scaffolding to be used on a bridge project is to be planned, some of the questions that need to be asked first are:

• Can the scaffolding be erected from the ground or is there little or no space available, e.g. if the bridge crosses water or traffic?
• What heights does the scaffolding need to reach? Is it possible to deliver large quantities of scaffolding material to the site or is it difficult to transport the material, e.g. due to rough terrain?
• Does the bridge have special architectural features that require more complex static calculations for the scaffolding?

Depending on how these and other questions get answered, three types of scaffolding stand out as the most suitable for many bridge projects.

1. Modular scaffolds

Modular scaffolding can be used for a wide variety of projects. They are also often the ideal scaffolding solution for bridge construction or bridge maintenance projects to provide access to the required working areas.

Besides being quick and easy to assemble and dismantle, one of the main advantages of modular scaffolding is its flexibility. This makes this type of scaffolding easily adaptable to a bridge's different architectural features. Their high load-bearing capacity is also a decisive advantage in bridge construction and renovation projects when heavy materials have to be handled.

Modular scaffolding systems such as RINGSCAFF can also be used as shoring or falsework, e.g. to support newly built, not yet load-bearing bridge sections. Click here for more information on modular scaffolding.

2. Suspended scaffolds

Suspended scaffolds can be used when it is not possible to erect a freestanding scaffold on a bridge, for example because of water or traffic underneath. They can also be used to make hard-to-reach areas, such as the substructure of a bridge, safely accessible with less material than scaffolding built from the ground upwards.

See how suspended scaffolding can be used with the product animation of our RINGSCAFF Sky suspended scaffolding system.

Click here to learn more about the advantages and use cases of suspended scaffolding.

3. Façade or construction scaffolds

Classic facade scaffolding or construction scaffolding is most commonly used for commercial and residential construction projects. Although modular scaffolding is much more common on bridge projects, facade scaffolding is also used from time to time, for example for smaller corrosion protection work.

Rent or buy scaffolding for infrastructure projects

Scafom-rux provides you with high-quality scaffolding solutions for industries such as construction and infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, shipbuilding and ship maintenance. You can choose to buy or rent your scaffolding.

Find out more about renting and buying scaffolding from Scafom-rux by clicking on the link.