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General Information

Other name(s): Wiehltalbrücke
Beginning of works: 1969
Completion: 1971
Status: in use

Project Type

Structure: Girder bridge
Function / usage: Motorway bridge / freeway bridge
Material: Steel bridge

Location

Location: , , ,
Carries:
  • Autobahn A4
Part of:
Coordinates: 50° 58' 30.33" N    7° 29' 22.92" E
Show coordinates on a map

Technical Information

Dimensions

total length 705 m
span lengths 65 m - 80 m - 88 m - 3 x 100 m - 92 m - 80 m
number of spans 8
bridge surface 21 326 m²
height above valley floor or water max. 60 m
deck width 30.25 m

Quantities

Repairs
structural steel 160 t
Rehabilitation
structural steel 460 t

Cost

Repairs
cost of construction Euro 3 500 000
Rehabilitation
cost of construction Euro 9 400 000

Materials

girders steel

Chronology

26 August 2004, 10:40

A passenger car skids on wet asphalt and crashes into a tanker truck causing the latter to skid itself off the bridge. The truck crashes onto the valley ground 10 meters below, killing the driver and causing the explosion of the 33 000 liters of gas and diesel in the tank. The resulting fire develops temperatures as high as 1 100 °C. For fear of significant structural damage to the bridge dock the entire bridge is closed to traffic indefinitely by the authorities.

Excerpt from Wikipedia

The Wiehltal Bridge is a highway bridge on the A 4 motorway between Cologne and Olpe over the Wiehltal valley at Engelskirchen (Oberbergischer Kreis), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Overview

The bridge is 30.25 m wide, 705 m long and has a bridge surface of 21,326 m². The highest point above ground is 60 m. It consists completely of a steelwork construction, whose rolling-element bearing rests on concrete pillars. In contrast to similar bridges, the roadways of both driving directions are carried by continuous elements. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1971.

Damage and closure

The burning remains of the tanker under the bridge

At 10:40 on 26 August 2004 a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge. The guard rails were designed only to stop vehicles up to 13 tons and were unable to hold the truck, which fell 30 meters off the A 4 Autobahn and exploded. The truck driver was killed; the heat damage destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge and it had to be closed to traffic.

Provisional repairs were made in autumn 2004. Plans for a replacement bridge are expected to be formulated in the spring of 2005. Repairs are estimated at € 32 million and replacement could cost up to € 250 million, including the cost for disposing of the waste. This was by far the most expensive accident in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Repair and reopening

The bridge was repaired and re-opened to traffic on 18 October 2007.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Wiehltal bridge" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.

Relevant Web Sites

Relevant Publications

  • About this
    data sheet
  • Structure-ID
    20013086
  • Published on:
    27/08/2004
  • Last updated on:
    05/02/2016
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