Well we thought Accoya® was good, now they are building bridges with it...
16th December 2008
Russwood has been recommending Accoya® for some time as an innovative new type of cladding. We have seen it used in a number of diverse situations, and in a move which lends even greater credibility to Accoya®’s durability and strength the Dutch government has commissioned the first Accoya® road-bridge.
The new 450 ton wooden bridge is the first in the world to be made entirely of this revolutionary modified timber. You can see other bridges built from Russwood timber in our Bridges Section, but the Akkenwinde Bridge is in a league of its own.
The £3 million construction boasts a span of 45m and a rise of more than 15m, and will serve as an elegant gateway in to the city of Sneek, Netherlands.
The bridge will support traffic to a weight of 100 tons on a daily basis, making it one of the few wooden heavy traffic road-bridges anywhere in the world.
Another key reason for the selection of Accoya® was because of its long service life. The Dutch Government has a requirement that all bridges must have a minimum service life of 80 years. They have invested £300,000 in independent testing of Accoya® to ensure it meets the structural requirements required lifespan.
We are certain that this demonstration of the strength of Accoya® will raise the profile of the material and its suitability for all kinds of applications.
