This article describes the use of automatic climbing formwork in the construction of the River Suir Bridge in Ireland. The legs of the A-shaped bridge pylon are inclined by fifteen degrees and feature a parabola-like cross-section. The automatic climbing formwork helped work to move ahead rapidly. Profiled timber formers were faced with birchwood multi-ply sheet which delivered a uniformly smooth concrete finish even after repeat uses. Thepylon legs were constructed with a solid cross-section up to the deck slab and then with a hollow cross-section. The inside shaft was climbed usingprofile-guided climbing formwork reinforced with massive steel components. At a height of 60m the pylon legs merged into the head, and in the last three casting sections before this the platforms had to be continuously adapted. Close to the top, the site crew had to mount fixing sleeves for thebearer cables and the large-area formwork was given extra reinforcement.
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