Milestone at Replacement Bridge “Auf der Bleiche” in Wetter (Ruhr Region)

The steel truss bridge “Auf der Bleiche” is located in the district Wengern in an industrial estate between the Ruhr river and railway installations. It is of special importance as the only suitable crossing for motor vehicles to the industrial estate.

The bridge was first opened for traffic in 1919, and its last renovation took place in 1993. Since severe damages were detected during a new analysis in 2017, crossing speed had to be limited and the lane width narrowed. The complete width between railings of 7 metres is already too small and presentes a risk to the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. Moreover, the existing load limit does not correspond to current traffic requirements. For those reasons, the bridge is currently replaced by a new structure.

The new bridge is a frame structure and consists of two reinforced concrete abutments placed on six bored piles as deep foundations. The superstructure comprises four prefabricated composite girders (VFT®-girders). Assembly of the girders, each 40-tonnes-heavy, took place on 10/11/2024 by a tandem lifting method using 2×250-tonne mobile cranes.

The successful assembly marks an important milestone. The new bridge with at width of 11.60 metres and a clear width of 26 metres will be more comfortable and safer for all users. For this project, SSF Ingenieure provided amongst others the final design, on-site construction supervision and railway construction supervision, contracted by the municipality and the utilities company Wetter (Ruhr region).