General Information
| Name in local language: | Hochbrücke Levensau |
|---|---|
| Beginning of works: | 1893 |
| Completion: | 1894 |
| Status: | in use |
Project Type
| Function / usage: |
Road bridge Railroad (railway) bridge |
|---|---|
| Structure: |
Deck arch bridge |
Location
| Location: |
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Neuwittenbek, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
|---|---|
| Crosses: |
|
| Part of: | |
| Will be replaced by: |
Levensau High Bridge (2021)
|
| Coordinates: | 54° 22' 4.15" N 10° 4' 33.01" E |
Technical Information
Dimensions
| total length | 180 m | |
| clearance | 40 m |
Quantities
| structural steel | 2 600 t |
Excerpt from Wikipedia
The Levensau High Bridge (German:Levensauer Straßen- und Eisenbahnhochbrücke; short: Levensauer Hochbrücke) is a high level arch bridge that spans the Kiel Canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. A second bridge nearby, opened 1984, is referred to as Levensau Motorway Bridge (German: Levensauer Schnellstraßenbrücke).
Previous history
The lower section of the small river Levensau was extended between 1777 and 1784 to become part of the Eider Canal. Between 1887 and 1895 the Eider Canal was further extended and straightened to become part of the Kiel Canal (then Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal). The extended canal necessitated a fixed link for the Kiel–Flensburg railway as well as the principal road from Kiel to Eckernförde.
Design and construction
Construction of the bridge took 1½ years. Work on the abutments was started in June 1893 and bricklaying lasted until end of that year. On top of the abutments the bridge featured four towers by architect Hermann Muthesius. The scaffolding that supported the steel elements during construction was erected from November 1893 and assembly of the steel construction started in May 1894. The bridge was inaugurated by Emperor Wilhelm II in December 1894. Originally the carriageway was designed in such a way that it could not be used by road and rail traffic simultaneously - if a train approached, the bridge was closed for cars and lorries. In the course of a first modification a barrier between road and railway was installed, however this limited the width of the road to 4.5 metres (15 ft) so that lorries were unable to pass each other on the bridge. Furthermore, the pedestrian way was only 90 centimetres (35 in) wide. In 1954, the bridge was extensively reworked to allow for independent use by road, rail and pedestrians. The towers were torn down and the carriageway was enlarged.
Replacement
In 1984 a four lane road bridge was opened for road traffic, taking over the role as main canal crossing for the Kiel–Schleswig road (route 76).
The current bridge is still used for the railway and local road traffic including bicycles. Ist span is too narrow for the canal expansion to a width of 162 metres (531 ft). In 2009 the cost estimate for the replacement stood at 42 million Euros.
Bat habitat
About 5,000 common noctule and several other bat species hibernate inside the abutments. The population was examined by scientists of the Kiel University and is considered the largest in Northern Europe.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Levensau High Bridge" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.
Participants
Currently there is no information available about persons or companies having participated in this project.
Relevant Web Sites
Relevant Publications
- (2015): Bauen im Bestand: Ersatzneubau der ersten Hochbrücke Levensau bei Kiel. In: Stahlbau, v. 84, n. 3 (March 2015), pp. 182-194.
- (2007): Brücken in Deutschland II. für Straßen und Wege. Deutscher Bundes-Verlag, Cologne (Germany), ISBN 978-3-935064-46-0, pp. 56-57.
- The High Bridge over the North Sea Canal Near Levensau. In: Scientific American, v. 72, n. 25 (22 June 1895), pp. 392.
- About this
data sheet - Structure-ID
20005034 - Published on:
16/09/2002 - Last updated on:
05/02/2016
