Bridge closing after lifting-in the middle section
© KREBS+KIEFER

Lifting-in of the Karlsruhe waterworks bridge

On 23 and 24 March 2019, the bridge closure at the new waterworks bridge planned by KREBS+KIEFER took place with the lifting-in of the central high point. The pedestrian and cyclists bridge with service vehicle traffic will in future provide access once again to the popular Oberwald recreational area in the south of the city via the Karlsruhe freight station.

On 23 and 24 March 2019, the bridge closure at the new waterworks bridge planned by KREBS+KIEFER took place with the lifting-in of the central high point. The pedestrian and cyclists bridge with service vehicle traffic will in future provide access once again to the popular Oberwald recreational area in the south of the city via the Karlsruhe freight station.

In the course of the replacement construction for the rotten steel structure of 1895, which was estimated to cost around € 5.5 million to build, the current requirements of the German Railway could also be adapted to the clearance gauge to be bridged. The trough structure planned as a steel composite structure with a striking "wing" cross section, which results from the lateral aluminum touching protection against the overhead contact line, was the result of an urban design competition won by KREBS+KIEFER together with GJL Architekten.

The fourth shot of the 163-m-long bridge, the heaviest at around 60 t and the longest at 43.8 m, had already been successfully lifted in the night of 16 to 17 March 2019 during a closure of the tracks. By welding the round tube piers to the superstructure, the bridge will later be positioned semi-integrally.

KREBS+KIEFER is responsible in the project for the complete object and structural planning. Since July 2018, the foundations of the five pier axes and the support benches of the abutments have been renewed following the dismantling of the existing bridge. After the bridge is closed, the pier axes will be successively welded, the reinforced concrete pavement will be installed and the bridge will be completed until autumn 2019.