MC-PowerFlow facilitates advanced-design motorway bridge

The Slovakian industrial city of Žilina, with a population of around 81,000, is located 200 km north-west of the capital Bratislava. The largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the Slovak State Railways (ŽSR) started here in 2021, culminating in the complex reconstruction of the important Žilina railway junction. The project has been divided into independent units in order to optimise the organisation of the construction process while maintaining rail operations.

As part of these measures, the construction of a new prestressed concrete motorway bridge was started in 2023. STRABAG s.r.o. was appointed by ŽSR as the main contractor for the project, and the entire construction phase was also controlled by the laboratory of TPA s.r.o.. The concrete was supplied by Cemmac Beton s.r.o., whose ready-mixed concrete plants have been working with MC in Slovakia for many years. As well as supplying concrete admixtures, MC also provides local consultancy, both at the concrete plant and on the construction site.

Demanding concrete construction

Construction of the bridge near the Žilina railway station began in January 2023. The design called for a special prestressed concrete structure with high compressive and flexural strength of C60/75 and a narrow profile. Another challenge was the consistency of the concrete, which had to be pumped long distances to the site and poured between the reinforcement elements. MC’s concrete technologists recommended MC-PowerFlow 5674, a high-performance superplasticiser based on MC’s latest polymer technology. The universal superplasticiser is ideal for all ready-mixed concretes made from local cements.