Safe stop for a Bavarian landmark

With an arch span of 140 m, the Echelsbach Bridge has been bridging the deep Ammer Gorge at a height of up to 80 m above the valley floor for more than 90 years. Its total length is 182 m. It connects the communities of Bad Bayersoien and Rottenbuch in southwestern Upper Bavaria. Federal Highway 23, which stretches from Peiting to the German-Austrian border near Griesen, passes over the Echelsbach Bridge. In order to preserve and secure the structure for the future, the "Construction Measure B 23, Partial Renewal of the Echelsbach Bridge" was implemented from 2017 to 2021.

The bridge was built in 1929 using the Melan-Spangenberg construction method with the largest bridge arches of its kind in the world. In this construction method, which was developed by the Austrian civil engineer Joseph Melan (1853 - 1941) and adapted by Prof. Heinrich Spangenberg (1879 - 1936) for large spans, a steel truss arch is erected in the free stem. An inner and outer formwork is attached to this. This is then concreted out in sections. The construction project "B 23, partial renewal of the Echelsbach Bridge" has already been preceded by four renovations.
Probably the largest temporary bridge in Germany, the partial renewal carried out in 2019 - 2021 allowed traffic on the B 23 to continue rolling during the construction work. On the main structure, the listed arches were preserved and repaired. The remaining old bridge was dismantled. In addition, a new arch with a similar load-bearing system was built over the existing arches. New railings were attached to the bridge caps.

Object profile

Year of manufacture:

1929

Completion of the partial renovation:

2021

Total length:

182 metres

Object type:

Bridge

To securely fix the 2.50 m high steel railings in special construction to the concrete of the bridge cap, the structural engineer opted for a fixing solution from the fischer group of companies. The fischer FIS HB injection mortar was used together with approx. 2,500 fischer FHB II AL M16x160 A4 anchor rods made of stainless steel. The company carrying out the work was Schallschutz Schröder GmbH from Munich. The system allows heavy loads to be anchored securely in concrete. Certainty is provided by the ETA Option 1 for cracked concrete and the Swiss shock approval. The performance of the styrene-free vinyl ester mortar in combination with the associated anchor rod with optimised cone geometry results in a high degree of economic efficiency: few fixing points and small anchor plates are sufficient to achieve a secure hold. The combination of FIS HB injection mortar and FHB II anchor rod is particularly suitable for series installation outdoors.

According to the BMVI (Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure), there are currently around 40,000 bridges in the network of federal trunk roads. Many of them need to be renovated. One reason for this is the often advanced age of the structures. The large viaducts in particular were mostly built at least 50 years ago. Another cause is the increase in traffic, especially in the area of heavy goods transport. In order to prevent catastrophes such as the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, regular inspections and, if necessary, renovations are necessary. Construction measures such as "B 23, partial renewal of the Echelsbach Bridge" therefore make an important contribution to the safety of people and infrastructure.

fischer heavy-duty fastening secures Echelsbach bridge

Object profile

Our products used