The ‘thinnest’ concrete bridge in Southeast Asia

The 30-metre-long Chalermphrakiart Bridge was built in the SCG head office compound in Bang Sue last year but the conglomerate announced the development only now to invite construction firms to learn about the new technologies under the company’s Green Construction philosophy.

SCG vice president Chana Phumee, who is in charge of the firm’s Cement and Green Solution Business, said the company used its ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) to build the “thin” concrete bridge.

Chana said the UHPC created a concrete pressure force five times higher than other technologies allow and helped the fabricated concrete to withstand heavy pressure and strong pulling forces, for example from material such as metal sheets.

According to him, with UHPC technology, fabricated concrete slabs can be made 30 per cent thinner than conventional ones.

Chana said the technologies allowed SCG to save energy during construction in line with its Green Construction policy, with the conservation reducing carbon emissions by 20% compared to the normal construction process.

The bridge is only 30cm thick at its beams while the thinnest portion is a mere 2.5cm thick. He said the bridge construction started in January last year and was completed in September.

SCG used a 3D digital model to design the structure and manage the construction. It also used CPAC Drone Solutions to precisely monitor the progress of the construction.

Businesses that want to update their construction technologies would do well to check out the bridge, Chana added.