Asides from ferries and other sea vessels, the port of Zeebrugge welcomes many people who work there on a daily base as well. To ensure safe and easy access to the port in the future as well, the local authorities have planned the construction of a new bridge. In support of this project, Brownline surveyed a 667 meter drill in January 2021.
The planned bridge is not just any type of bridge, but will be the largest revolving bridge on the European continent. The bridge was designed with port accessibility for all road users in mind, but above all for cyclists. By incorporating a separate cycle lane in the bridge’s design, cyclist safety is guaranteed and the choice for people working in the port to use their bike for their daily commute is stimulated as well. Another factor taken into account is the planning of future projects in and around the port, such as the planned construction of a sea lock.
The construction of the bridge was taken as an opportunity to cross not only its required power supply, but also a bundle of different pipelines under the river. This 1200 mm / 48" diameter drill was executed at a depth of 46 meter. The future construction of support pillars and bridge sections was taken into account when making the design. The soil through which the trajectory was set out is made of sand and shell banks, which meant that the use of a mud motor was crucial for this drill.
The drill job was executed successfully with the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool, allowing for this nice project to continue on schedule.