NeW THYSSeNKRUPP QUaRTeR NOW OPeN FOR BUSINeSS

14 geRMaNY
NEW INVESTORS
FOR OLD
INDUSTRIAL SITES
KeRSDORF LOCK WaS BUILT IN 1891 aND ITS DIMeNSIONS NO
LONgeR CONFORM TO MODeRN ReQUIReMeNTS. PROVIDINg THe
LOCaTIONS aLONg THe SPRee–ODeR WaTeRWaY WITH a PeRMaNeNT
CONNeCTION TO THe TRaNS-eUROPeaN WaTeRWaYS NeTWORK
ReQUIReS aLL THe LOCKS ON THe ODeR–SPRee CaNaL TO Be
ReFURBISHeD SO THaT IN FUTURe THeY CaN aLSO aCCOMMODaTe
MODeRN MOTORISeD CaRgO VeSSeLS UP TO 115 M LONg.
Design
The older, south chamber consists of
gravity chamber walls on a continuous
base, the north chamber of gravity
chamber walls and a chamber base
spanning between these in the form of an
“inverted vault”, in each case made of
concrete. Both head bays are fitted with
gates above a sill. The south chamber
has a lift gate in the tail bay, the north
chamber a mitre gate.
Originally, the lock was operated by
means of side ponds located between
the chambers, but this method of
operation was abandoned for economic
reasons many decades ago. Filling and
emptying are carried out by a siphon
system.
In the light of new settlement successes
brought about by major investments that
are creating hundreds of new jobs, the upgrading
of the Spree–Oder Waterway is becoming
more and more important. “We have
been fighting for these improvements for a
long time. It is therefore very pleasing for the
whole region that refurbishment and expansion
work at Kersdorf Lock has now begun.”
Those are the words of Brandenburg’s
Minister of Transport Jörg Vogelsänger
(SPD), who together with the district administrator
and the mayor in the presence of
members of the federal state parliament,
representatives from the Federal Water &
Shipping Administration, the contractor and
the public gave the signal to start work on
expanding this important and environmentally
friendly form of transport on 26 April
2010. And as appropriate to this project this
was not carried out with an official turning of
the first sod with a spade, but with the first
driving operation. After the VIPs had pressed
the button to start the work, the specialist
crew from Bickhardt Bau AG vibrated the first
sheet pile section, weighing about 3.5 t, into
its vertical position in the ground.
Design und Funktion in idealer Verbindung:
die straßenseitige Außengestaltung
The north chamber of the lock, built in 1904, is
currently being extended from 57 to 115 m with
sheet piling. Some 1900 t of sheet piles, 500 t of
reinforcing steel, 1400 m³ of underwater concrete
and 3000 bonded anchors will be required in the
course of this project. “This lock will be lengthened
to suit the needs of modern shipping,” explains
Thomas Menzel, President of the East Division of
the Federal Water & Shipping Administration. In the
course of this major refurbishment, the crumbling
walls to the lock chambers must also be demolished
and replaced with concrete ones. The lock
gates and their mechanisms will be replaced, and
the control and communications systems brought
up to today’s standards. The upstream basin will be
upgraded to suit the longer lock and will be given a
waiting and coupling point for commercial shipping
plus a separate waiting area for pleasure craft.
All shipping will pass through the south chamber
while the work is in progress - probably a period of
about two years. Once completed, it will be possible
for modern cargo vessels to pass through the lock
without having to be decoupled first and recoupled
afterwards. That will save time and will turn the
Oder–Spree Canal into an attractive mode of transport
for industry once again. Kersdorf Lock is the
westernmost lock for the summit canal of the
Spree–Oder Waterway.
geRMaNY 15
The start of expansion work at Kersdorf
Lock: the first vibratory driving operation
for the first sheet pile section, weighing
about 3.5 t.
Facts & figures
Client/developer
Waterways Building Department, Berlin
Contractor consortium
Bickhardt Bau AG, Kirchheim
Schäfer Bauten GmbH, Ibbenbüren
Materials
approx. 1900 t HOESCH steel sheet pile walls
and steel sheet piles/dolphins, walings, round
steel tie rods, bollards and equipment for steel
hydraulic engineering
Vibratory and driving plant
MÜLLER MS-20 HFV with MÜLLER MS-A 420 V
power pack
MS-32 HFV with MS-A 675 V power pack
MENCK SB 270 fast-action driving hammer
Contact
Dipl.-Ing. Michael E. Bezzo,
Frankfurt am Main Branch
Tel: +49 (0)6028 97911-10
E-mail: michael.e.bezzo@thyssenkrupp.com