Railways
Río Salí
TUCUMÁN, Argentina
A project enabling passenger trains to return to San Miguel de Tucumán
PROJECT
Repair of the Salí River Bridge -Prog. 1151 426- for Branch 1 of the Mitre Railway lne-Province of Tucuman
CLIENT
ADIF
DESCRIPTION OF WORKS
The project envisaged the comprehensive repair of the railway bridge crossing the Salí river, located at Progressive Stage 1,151+426 of the Mitre railway line in the province of Tucumán. At the end of 2019, the river burst its banks and the floodwaters threatened the bridge’s stability, leading to the suspension of the long-distance train service to the provincial capital. This is a key section of the broad gauge railway line, a vital link for transport logistics due to the interconnection between the Cevil Pozo and San Miguel de Tucumán stations. The bridge is 560 m long and has twenty-eight metal sections of the lower open type making up a single broad gauge track. It is supported by concrete and masonry beams resting on piles. The deck is made up of four box-type reinforced lattice beams, of some 1.80 m in height.
The first stage involved carrying out studies and surveys to design the executive project. Then the repairs were made to reestablish the structural safety of the bridge and lengthen its useful life. This included repairing abutments and piers, placing protectors, restoring the metal sections and generally renovating the infrastructure. Works were carried out to repair the reinforced concrete piles (piles, columns, beams, lintels), and the masonry piles, carrying out repair and reinforcement works on metal structures, replacing supports, channel and pile protections, as well as renovating the tracks, and sandblasting and painting existing metal structures, among other tasks.