Stirling Lloyd’s Eliminator waterproofing system protects Turkey’s bridges
Stirling Lloyd’s Eliminator advanced bridge deck waterproofing system was specified for the waterproofing of two new high profile bridges in Turkey and has been applied in record time.
The Eliminator system was used a to cover a total of 76,000m2 for the Osman Gazi Bridge and 37,435m2 for the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.
Built over the Sea of Marmara in Turkey’s Izmit Bay, the Osman Gazi Bridge opened to service on 30 June 2016 and is the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. Spanning over 1.5km, the bridge’s construction enables passengers to make the journey across the sea in just three minutes instead of joining the long queue to take the one-hour intermittent and uncomfortable ferry ride or the alternative highly trafficked 100km detour over land.
The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is part of the projected 260km long Northern Marmara highway. This suspension cable bridge is designed for both rail and cars. It is the longest combined motorway / railway bridge in the world and is the eighth longest suspension bridge. Aside from its sheer length and size, the bridge is equally significant for its powerful logistical positioning, as it will be part of a ‘New Silk Road’ linking China and Europe by rail.
Over the past fifteen years, the Turkish state highways agency, KGM, has specified Stirling Lloyd’s Eliminator system for several successful high profile collaborations in Turkey. Such celebrated schemes include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Bosphorus Bridge and Haliç Bridges. As a result, KGM selected the Eliminator system for these projects, too.
The applicators were able to apply 4500-5000m2 of the bridge waterproofing system per day on the Osman Gazi Bridge, facilitating quick contract progression. This was made possible due to the speed and ease of application of the Eliminator system, together with the fact that each element of the system cures in under an hour, enabling the next element of the system to be applied immediately.
Daghan Erel, Regional Sales Manager at Stirling Lloyd Polychem, for Turkey and Central Asia comments: “We are very proud to have been part of such high profile and prestigious projects.
“Given the significance of these projects, we were under a great deal of pressure to ensure that the Eliminator was applied quickly and effectively to protect the bridges for decades to come. To meet these objectives, we had skilled teams on board to ensure that the Eliminator product could be applied quickly and safely. We are confident that our product will protect the bridge decks for years to come and will help them to stand the test of time.”
