Bringing together more than 400 professionals, the conference was opened by Zsolt Barna, State Secretary responsible for road transport, who in his address highlighted the importance of engineering mentality and the future challenges associated with the bridge stock of the Hungarian road network.
Organised by the Association for Bridge Engineers, in cooperation with the Hungarian National Group of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), the conference featured a total of 50 technical presentations. The program included contributions from four international speakers, and the topics covered the entire field of bridge engineering—from research and design through operation and up to new construction projects.
Experts of Duna Aszfalt Zrt. once again played an active role in the programme. Three of our colleagues gave presentations on the Mohács Danube Bridge project, highlighting the investment project’s special technical solutions and construction challenges associated with it.
In his presentation, István Wunderlich outlined the major milestones of the Mohács Danube Bridge project, focusing on the details of the shell-element technology used in the construction of the riverbed piers, a method that has already proven successful on several major Danube bridges in Hungary. He presented the complex process of manufacturing and installing the prefabricated reinforced concrete elements of a special geometry, that is a crucial element of performing work in river environment.
Gábor Szabó's presentation focused on the structure of the bridge's steel framework, fabrication process of the structure involved, and the engineering considerations behind selecting the final assembly methodology. Particular attention was given to the production of the bridge's iconic arch structure, whose construction requires a unique combination of bridge engineering and building construction technologies. He also presented the factors determining the concept of the assembly technology, the evaluation of various alternatives, the criteria for decision-making, illustrating the technology’s development—from initial design sketches to the elaboration of detailed assembly plans. The presentation concluded with an overview of the system of equipment designed to move the main river bridge structure, its operating principle, demonstrating the engineering solutions that enable the safe positioning of this exceptionally large steel structure.
Szabolcs Parragi presented the construction technology for the left-bank floodplain bridges, highlighting the prefabrication and assembly processes developed within the dedicated assembly area. His technical presentation also examined the role of the bridge launching system development and the complex fabrication, welding and assembly operations required before the bridge structures can be launched into their final position.
In addition to the Mohács Danube Bridge, Duna Aszfalt speakers presented several other projects. László Papp shared the transformation of the Halasi Road Overpass in Kecskemét in his technical presentation ABridge Above Everyday Life, while Béla Tigyi and Csaba Nagy presented the reconstruction of the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the M7 Motorway at Velence.
We are proud that our colleagues had the opportunity to share their experiences at Hungary's leading bridge engineering forum and contribute to showcasing the latest achievements in Hungarian bridge construction.