Ertüchtigung der Nibelungenbrücke Worms

The Improvement of the Nibelungen Bridge at Worms

The improvement of the Nibelungen Bridge crossing the river Rhine at Worms as part of the B 47 has been a very complex task due to the fact that the foreshore bridges built in the last years of the 19th century were linked to a river bridge, which is one of the first prestressed concrete bridges constructed using the cantilever method.
Its conceptual design had to comply with the still existing and for economic reasons to be reused foundations of a steel framework bridge destroyed during the Second World War. Moreover, both a valid standard for prestressed concrete constructions and guidance drawings were lacking.
This article concentrates on the rather extraordinary approach to improve the river bridge and the foreshore bridges. It will not enlarge on conventional rehabilitation work as e.g. concrete replacement, construction of a new stair tower or renewal of drainage, sealing and covering.