Railway Underpass, Lokeren, Belgium | 2019

Advancing Rail Transport: Lokeren Underpass Development

Lokeren, a Flemish town with 41,000 residents, needed to enhance railroad safety by replacing a crossing with an underpass. 

This structure spans four railroad tracks, a service road, and a bicycle path, with two lanes for vehicles and an elevated path for cyclists and pedestrians. Construction took place over two days in May 2018, using a top-down method combined with sheet piles to minimize disruption. 

The underpass decks are supported by 46 vertical AZ 25-800 sheet piles, while the entrances consist of 165 AZ 18-800 sections. Notably, the piles have an 11° inclination and follow a curved path with a 400m radius, with 4 transition piles connecting the vertical and inclined sections. Additionally, 18 AZ 18-800 sections were used to create a pumping pit at the underpass's bottom.

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Lokeren, Belgium. Cross section - underpass approach and underpass_Slider
Installation by vibratory hammers with double clamping systems mounted on hydraulic rigs
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The underpass deck for railroad tracks n°1, n°2, and n°3 was prefabricated and installed between the decks and track n°2. 

Railroad traffic was interrupted on Saturday, May 5th at 2:00 AM. Tracks n°1 and n°2 were removed and replaced with 18 AZ 25-800 sections, 2 transition piles, and 4 inclined AZ 18-800 piles. The prefabricated 400-ton underpass deck for all 3 tracks was then pushed on rails to its final position. Tracks n°1 and n°2 were reinstalled, and on Monday, May 7th, both tracks were reopened for traffic. Sheet piles were installed using hydraulic rigs equipped with vibratory hammers to fit AZ 800® profiles. 

The AZ 18-800 piles for the underpass entrances and the AZ 25-800 sections under track n°4 were installed in the next phase. Excavation began under the prefabricated underpass decks, and simultaneously, decks for track n°4, the service road, and the bicycle track were constructed on-site. The interlocks of the AZ 18-800 piles were seal-welded for a watertight wall, and the vertical AZ 25-800 piles were covered with an inclined concrete wall. 

The project was completed ahead of schedule, with the underpass opening on May 22, 2019, and the entire project finished in early July 2019.