Renewal Federal Road B44 Elevated Bridge North, Ludwigshafen

Ludwigshafen, Germany
Location
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Client
City of Ludwigshafen am Rhein / Bauprojektgesellschaft Ludwigshafen mbH
Planning period
2012 – 2022
Completion
2030 (planned)
Span widths
West bridge: 39,72 + 35,50 + 45,95 + 46,40 + 56,95 + 36,61 + 47,82 + 45,02 + 38,41 + 45,76 m (superstructure north) 33,00 + 35,20 + 50,70 + 51,60 + 60,35 + 37,80 + 42,40 + 50,00 + 33,30 + 51,15 m (superstructure south)
Total Length
West bridge: 437,84 m (superstructure north); 445,30 m (superstructure south)
overall width
West bridge: 20,55 - 23,31 m
bridge surface
West bridge: 10.104 m²
SSF Services
Project planning of engineering structures: basic evaluation, preliminary, draft approval and final design, preparation and evaluation of tenders, construction documentation and supervision (§ 43, Lph 1 – 9); Project planning of transport installations: basic evaluation, preliminary, draft approval and final design, preparation and evaluation of tenders (§ 45, Lph 1-7) (railway installations); Structural engineering: basic evaluation, preliminary, draft approval and final design, preparation of tenders (§ 51, Lph 1 – 6); construction supervision railway; authorized engineer for railway building document submission; general planning of section „west part“; construction logistics and operational planning, scheduling, manufacturing concept, construction concept, construction site setup and area management, supply and disposal; coordination and integration of subcontractors: road lighting, technical railway equipment, geotechnics, construction soil survey and foundation consulting

The 1.7-km long elevated bridge in Ludwigshafen was completed in 1981 as city highway. It crosses several roads and railway lines as well as a shopping mall, and, in the west, spans the 8-tracked railway installations of Ludwigshafen Central Station. Due to its bad structural condition, the entire 4-lane prestressed concrete hollow box bridge will be replaced including its many branch-off ramps.  Instead of an equivalent replacement, another bridge variant was chosen which comprises a city boulevard, which’s middle section is at terrain level, and improved alignment and new design of junctions.  

Within the engineering joint venture, SSF acts as general planner for the ca. 800-m long “west part” with at its centre the 445-m long so-called West Bridge. It spans the railway installations of station Ludwigshafen with numerous ICE main lines. For the two double-lane carriageways, two separated composite steel superstructures are designed, consisting of two tightly welded but walkable steel boxes completed by an in-situ concrete slab built by formwork traveller. 

In addition to the West Bridge, the planned foreland structures, exceptional sheet pile constructions of around 150-m length, can be highlighted. The flexible layout allows complex geometric connections to existing structures as well as temporary stages during construction. 

Moreover, SSF’s scope of services entails the comprehensive adaptation of the shunting yard’s and freight station’s railway tracks to create space for assembly during construction as well as to recreate an efficient final state as a follow-up project to the West Bridge including superstructure design, railway line construction and cable engineering, railway passages during construction and buffer stops.  

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