Betar

Tembe bridge, Mozambique

• Location: Boane, Maputo, Moçambique
• Solution: Bridges, Geotechnics, Infrastructure and Transport
• Type: Railway bridges, Testing, prospection and studies, Geotechnical projects, Roadways and railways, Management and construction inspection
• Client: CFM – Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique, E.P.
• Scope: Structural Design, Geotechnical, Drainage, Management
• Area: 1037m2 deck
• Project: 2021/2022
• Construction: 2022/2022
• Photography: Francisco Romão
• Contractor: MOTA-ENGIL ÁFRICA
• Dimension: 170m long, 20m max span

The railway bridge over the Tembe River is located on the Salamanga branch, being a branch of the Goba line, connecting Boane and Salamanga in Southern Mozambique.

This is a new bridge, built parallel to the original bridge, which had serious pathologies and an advanced state of degradation, which justified the option for its full replacement.

The work Bridge has a mixed composite section deck (2 “I” metallic beams and a RC concrete slab). In terms of spans modeling, it has 9 spans (extreme lateral spans of 15m and central spans of 20m each) totaling a bridge length of 170.0m. The Bridge was built by using the incremental method from the left bank.

The contract Works also included the execution of a new the railway with 1.000m long, to connect the existing line to the new bridge, with a total length of around 1,000m. Due to the unfavorable geotechnical scenario, it was decided to implement Pre-Loading to the embankments aiming to accelerate the expected settlement’s.

BETAR assumed the rule of Employer´s Technical Advisory and Site Supervisor, having also performed the Design for the railway restoration and treatment of foundations improvement.