Meeting Held at Motorways of FBiH: Cracks on Počitelj Bridge Being Repaired

(Patria) - The Počitelj Bridge, one of the most significant projects on Corridor Vc, has unquestionable mechanical resistance and global stability, was the conclusion of a meeting held today by representatives of the investor, the public company Motorways of FBiH, with representatives of other entities involved in the construction of this colossal project.

As announced by this company, the meeting was held at the initiative of Motorways of FBiH to obtain complete information about the cracks that appeared on one segment, 4.75 m long, out of nearly 200 segments on the bridge, and to agree on a plan for repairing the damage. The conclusion is that work on eliminating these defects will be intensified in the next ten days.

In addition to the acting director of the investor, Denis Lasić, the meeting was attended by representatives of the contractor, the consortium Azvirt Limited Liability Company, Sinohydro Corporation Limited and Powerchina Roadbridge Group, representatives of the subcontractor Hering d.d. Široki Brijeg, and representatives of the supervisory body, the Italian company IRD Engineering, which supervises the entire Počitelj – Zvirovići section, and representatives of the designer, IPSA Institut d.o.o. Sarajevo.

Motorways of FBiH, as the investor, signed a construction contract with the consortium of the mentioned companies, which, after the Počitelj Bridge, 980 m long, was connected with a span structure at the beginning of July, should be completed and opened to traffic by the end of the year.

During the execution of works on the Počitelj Bridge, damage (appearance of cracks) occurred on the bottom slab of segment 15 of the bridge between piers S3 and S4, during the execution of prestressing works for the 2nd phase of field 4.

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

“Considering that the execution of the main works on the Počitelj Bridge is still ongoing, the occurrence of such defects is not unusual given the size and complexity of the project. The supervising engineer may order the contractor to remove and re-execute any works that are not in accordance with the Contract. In that case, the contractor will execute and complete the works in accordance with the Contract and in accordance with the instructions of the supervising engineer, i.e., eliminate any possible defects in the works.

In accordance with the Contract, the contractor is responsible for the adequacy, stability and safety of all activities on the construction site and all construction methods. Motorways of FBiH will, after the technical acceptance, take over the project with exclusively properly and high-quality executed works in accordance with all professional rules,” Lasić said.