Restoration of the Echelsbacher Bridge in Germany

Abstract

After its completion in 1929, the Echelsbacher Bridge in the alpine foothills of Bavaria (Germany) was an internationally renowned engineering achievement. Built in the Melan design, this was the largest Melan-type arch bridge of its time. Due to environmental influences over time, the bridge has reached an unsafe and structurally hazardous state. This paper describes the history and the details of the bridge and the investigations carried out for its structural safety verification. It was shown that this structural heritage has reached the end of its life cycle; therefore, the decision was made to replace it. The new bridge design well integrates this historical and technical monument.