Building Before Building

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes Colas SA is using BIM for virtual planning and construction of the Rivière des Galets Bridge on Reunion Island. Autodesk software—including ReCap, Civil 3D, Revit, 3ds Max, Navisworks, and BIM 360—is helping the firm and all the project stakeholders better plan, coordinate, and carry out construction. Rivière des Galets bridge project Reunion island’s Rivière des Galets rises on the western face of the extinct Piton des Neiges volcano and runs northwest to the Indian Ocean just south of Le Port, the island’s main seaport. As it nears the ocean, it crosses under N1, one of the island’s major highways and the only motorway connecting its two largest cities, Saint-Denis and Saint-Paul. At Le Port, the riverbed itself is very wide (close to 300 meters) but usually only has a few channels of running water. However, during the annual tropical cyclones that are common to this area, the rainfall can completely fill the river to its banks….

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