The Atlantic Bridge project, also known as the Third Bridge Over the Canal, is being developed near the Atlantic Ocean entrance of the Panama Canal. This $600M project involves the construction of a 1-kilometer cable-stayed bridge, along with access viaducts, road connections, and pedestrian and bicycle lanes. Once completed, the bridge will allow vehicles to cross the Panama Canal even when the locks are in operation.

One of the World’s Longest Concrete Cable-Stayed Bridges with Bartec

With a 530-meter central span and a vertical clearance of 75 meters above sea level to accommodate Post-Panamax ships, the four-lane Atlantic Bridge ranks among the longest cable-stayed bridges globally. It features two delta-shaped pylons, each reaching a height of 212.5 meters.

Dextra Latin America, based in Panama City, contributed to the project by supplying its Bartec rebar splicing solutions for the bridge’s concrete reinforcement. Over 350,000 Bartec couplers were delivered to VINCI Construction Grands Projets for reinforcing the bridge’s pile cages, pile caps, and pylons, supporting bars up to #14 (dia. 43 mm.). Additionally, three Dextra Bartec machine sets were used for on-site bar end preparation.

To prevent steel congestion in heavily reinforced areas, over 50,000 Dextra Headed Bars were used in the pile caps.

The Atlantic Bridge is now in its final construction phase and is expected to open in early 2019.

Phuoc Khanh Bridge is a 4.7-kilometer cable-stayed bridge connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Dong Nai province. It forms a key part of southern Vietnam’s longest highway—the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway—which runs through Long An province, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai.

Once completed, the expressway will link the southwestern and southeastern regions of Vietnam, significantly improving traffic flow, increasing lane capacity, and boosting transportation efficiency. The project is expected to enhance socio-economic development throughout the area.

Dextra Post-Tensioning Bar Systems for Permanent Applications

For the construction of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge, Dextra is supplying its high-performance post-tensioning bar systems as permanent anchors. More than 250 fully-threaded post-tensioning bars and over 200 smooth post-tensioning bars have been delivered to the site. Specifically designed for post-tensioned applications, these PT bars feature corrosion protection applied in a controlled environment at Dextra’s factory prior to delivery, ensuring long-term durability and performance.

The Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link (TM–CLKL) is a key road project connecting the Northwest New Territories to the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, the Airport, and North Lantau Island.

Spanning approximately 9 km, the road is divided into two main components: the Northern Connection, which links Tuen Mun Area 40 to Hong Kong Port via an undersea tunnel, and the Southern Connection, which connects Hong Kong Port to North Lantau Island via viaducts.

Dextra supplied 100,000 Bartec rebar couplers for reinforcing the diaphragm walls and tunnels. These high-performance couplers serve as an efficient alternative to rebar overlapping, reducing material costs and minimizing congestion in the lap zones.

To further alleviate rebar congestion in the ventilation building structure, over 50,000 Headed Bars were used at the tops of the columns. Headed Bars replace hooks and long development lengths, providing a simpler and more effective anchorage solution.

The Southern Connection was completed and opened in October 2018, with the project expected to be fully commissioned by 2020.

The Pumarejo Bridge is an impressive 3,200m-long structure featuring an 800m cable-stayed section, 1,300m of viaducts, and extensive access roads. Spanning the Rio Magdalena in Barranquilla and the Salamanca Island Road Park in Sitionuevo, Colombia, this modern engineering marvel has transformed regional connectivity.

Replacing the old Puente Pumarejo, which had just two lanes and a clearance of only 16 meters, the new bridge eliminates traffic bottlenecks and removes shipping constraints on the Rio Magdalena. With six traffic lanes (three in each direction), dedicated bike paths on both sides, and a pedestrian walkway, the bridge is designed for efficiency, safety, and accessibility.

Dextra played a key role in strengthening the bridge’s concrete structures by supplying over 120,000 Rolltec couplers for pier and deck reinforcements. Additionally, more than a thousand Unitec bolted couplers were used for rebar connections without the need for threading, ensuring faster and more efficient installation.

Since its completion, Pumarejo Bridge has not only become the longest road bridge in Colombia but also stands as one of the largest in Latin America—a landmark of modern infrastructure and innovation.

Source of images: https://www.khl.com/international-construction/colombias-longest-road-bridge/139582.article, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puente_ pumarejo.jpg

The Thane-Kalwa Creek Bridge is a nearly 2.4 km long U-shaped road bridge over the Thane Creek at Kalwa Naka, India, designed to ease traffic congestion between Thane and Navi Mumbai, as well as within the Kalwa and Thane city areas.

Dextra delivered more than 20 sets of Tension Rod systems in various lengths (with a maximum length of approximately 24 m), size M108, grade 700, used as suspenders for the basket-handle steel arch bridge.

Tension Rods typically act as bracing or suspension elements, offering high strength, length adjustability, ease of installation, and the ability to be post-tensioned after installation. A wide range of sizes and accessories is available in various steel grades, including both carbon and stainless steel.

The bridge was originally scheduled to open in 2020, but the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns significantly delayed construction.

The Brăila-Tulcea Bridge is a road suspension bridge over the Danube River, connecting Brăila, a major city in eastern Romania, to the opposite bank in Tulcea County.

It will be the first bridge over the maritime sector of the Danube River, significantly improving road accessibility in the Galați-Brăila area, enhancing connections to Constanța and Tulcea, and linking the Moldavia and Dobruja regions.

The suspension bridge will feature:

• A main span of 1,974 meters.
• Two side spans: 490 meters on the Brăila bank and 365 meters on the Tulcea bank.
• Two access viaducts, each 110 meters long.
• A connecting road stretching approximately 23 kilometers.

For this project, Dextra supplied 280,000 Bartec rebar couplers to reinforce the bridge structure.

Bartec couplers are ISO 15835 S2-compliant, meeting seismic design standards. They can withstand tension and compression under large deformations, ensuring structural resilience during violent earthquakes.

The bridge construction is completed in 2023.

A New Fast-Track Connecting Central to Eastern Thailand

The construction of the Bang Pa-In – Nakhon Ratchasima Motorway is considered one of Thailand’s major infrastructure projects, serving as a new fast-track link between the central and eastern regions of the country.

The main purpose of this project is to stimulate economic growth. Once completed, it will connect Thailand’s major urban centers within the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The Intercity Motorway consists of two sections:

• A six-lane, 103-kilometer section from Bang Pa-In to Pak Chong.
• A four-lane, 93-kilometer section from Pak Chong to Nakhon Ratchasima.

Given the challenging four-year construction timeline, the project was divided into approximately 40 contracts to accelerate progress. Additionally, to minimize potential disruptions to local residents, numerous underpasses, overpasses, and elevated structures (such as large viaducts) were incorporated into the design.

Optimizing Infrastructure with Dextra’s Rebar Couplers

For the motorway’s elevated structures, contractors from various project packages opted for Dextra’s full-performance Bartec rebar couplers (standard/position) to save both time and costs in the mechanical connection of 20mm to 32mm diameter reinforcement bars.

Thanks to Bartec’s unique splicing system, all applications can be fulfilled using a single model of rebar coupler, significantly reducing inventory management complexity.

Additionally, Dextra’s Sonitec sonic tubes were installed for crosshole sonic logging (CSL) tests in the foundations of the Bang Pa-In – Nakhon Ratchasima Intercity Motorway structures.

Dextra’s Post-Tensioning Bars for Elevated Structures

Beyond splicing and CSL testing solutions, smooth and fully-threaded post-tensioning (PT) bars were also used for both temporary (lifting and launching girder assembly) and permanent applications in bridge segments.

As of June 2018, approximately 28,000 sets of PT bars had been delivered.

For more information about Dextra’s solutions in Thailand, please contact our Bangkok office.

The construction of Binh Khanh Bridge is part of Vietnam’s Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway project, which will run through Ho Chi Minh City and southern Long An Province and involves the construction of 58 kilometers of roads.

Construction began in 2016 and was scheduled to be completed by 2020. The main purpose of this project is to develop the country’s transport infrastructure for high-speed vehicles.

To ease the construction of this 58-kilometer-long expressway, the project owner, Vietnam Expressway Corporation, has divided the project into three phases: the western, middle, and eastern sections.

Smooth and fully-threaded PT bars: post-tensioning solutions for bridges and viaducts

For the construction of the 3-kilometer-long Binh Khanh Bridge, which is part of the middle section, Dextra has supplied smooth and fully-threaded post-tensioning bars. These have been used in the main structure, the stay cables, as well as the bridge’s western and eastern approaches.

The six-lane extradosed bridge over the Ganga River in Prayagraj will span 9.9 kilometers, with the main bridge covering 3.84 kilometers and the approach segment covering the remaining distance.

The 3.84-kilometer stretch will include 67 pillars and 17 pillar foundations. Of this 3.84 km, an 860-meter span will be an extradosed bridge, while the rest will be a precast segmental bridge with 50-meter spans.

Dextra supplied 20,000 Sonitec tubes, an easy-to-assemble and time-saving solution used for CSL (crosshole sonic logging) testing of foundation piles to determine structural integrity. The tubes were installed in piles that were 30 to 36 meters deep with a diameter of 1.2 meters.

The bridge will start from Pratapgarh Road, gain height to cross over the existing Y-junction (leading towards Lucknow), and then cross the Ganga River from Kacchar, spanning over Beli village before ending at Stanley Road. It is expected to be operational in 2024.

The New Storstrøm Bridge is a testament to Denmark’s commitment to improving transportation infrastructure and connecting the country’s islands more efficiently. Stretching over the Storstrømmen strait, this bridge will replace the aging Storstrøm Bridge, which has served as a vital connection between the islands of Zealand and Falster since 1937.

The New Storstrøm Bridge is designed to accommodate not only vehicular traffic but also pedestrians and cyclists. Its innovative architecture and engineering are set to reduce travel time, improve safety, and provide a reliable link between these two major Danish islands.

Dextra, with its expertise in engineering construction solutions, has supplied 120,000 Rolltec couplers and headed bars for connecting pile reinforcement cages. These components are essential for the construction of the bridge’s foundation, ensuring that the piles are securely interconnected to support the immense weight and forces the bridge will experience during its lifetime.

In addition to our contribution to the bridge’s foundation, we have also supplied Unitec couplers for repair applications, connecting installed rebars with no threads. With Dextra’s contributions, this bridge will serve as a lifeline between Zealand and Falster for generations to come, connecting people, communities, and opportunities.