The Počitelj Bridge, one of the most significant projects on Corridor Vc, has unquestionable mechanical resistance and global stability, this is the conclusion of the meeting held today by representatives of the investor, the public enterprise FBiH Motorways with representatives of other entities involved in the construction of this grand project.

The meeting was held at the initiative of the FBiH Motorways in order to obtain complete information about the cracks that appeared on one segment, 4.75 m long, out of almost 200 segments on the bridge, and to agree on a plan to eliminate the resulting damage. The conclusion is that in the next ten days, the work to eliminate these defects will be intensified, the FBiH Motorways stated.

Reminder

In addition to director Denis Lasić, the meeting was also attended by representatives of contractors, consortium Azvirt Limited Liability Company, Sinohydro Corporation Limited and Powerchina Roadbridge Group, representatives of subcontractors, Hering Široki Brijeg, and representatives of the supervisory body of the Italian company IRD Engineering, which supervises the entire Počitelj - Zvirovići section, and representatives of the designer, IPSA Institute Sarajevo.

The FBiH Motorways reminds that the Počitelj bridge, 980 meters long, was connected by a span structure at the beginning of July, and should be completed and put into traffic by the end of the year.

However, during the works on the Počitelj bridge, damage (cracks appeared) occurred on the lower plate of segment 15, between columns S3 and S4, during the prestressing of the second phase of field 4.

Minor changes

Technically speaking, according to the performed analyses, it is shown that minor changes in the geometry of the cables can lead to significant increases in tensile stress in concrete. Irregularities in the positioning of cable ducts during construction create radial deflection forces that can lead to problems or the appearance of localized cracks.

Considering that the execution of the main works on the Počitelj bridge is still in progress, the occurrence of such defects is not unusual, considering the size and complexity of the project. The Superintending Engineer may order the contractor to remove and redo any work not in accordance with the contract. In this case, the contractor will carry out and complete the works in accordance with the contract and in accordance with the instructions of the supervising engineer, that is, eliminate all possible defects in the construction.