“The High Moselle Bridge delivers enormous benefits for people in the region and cross-regional traffic: Belgium’s metropolitan areas now have closer links to the Rhein-Main area and southern Germany, villages situated on the previous route will see significantly less traffic, and international freight transport will be far more efficient. At the same time, it will be easier for people to access the impressive cultural landscape of the Moselle region – a genuine win-win. We are proud to have had the honour of realising this technically demanding megaproject,” said Karl-Heinz Strauss, PORR CEO.
PORR expertise in bridge building
Spanning a length of 1.7 km, the High Moselle Bridge rests on a total of ten pylons, whereby the tallest pylon stands at a height of around 150 m, the shortest at 20 m. The pylons rest on bored piles driven into the ground and more than 100 piles had to be driven to support the ten pylons. The height of the structure varies based on the intervals between the supports and reaches its maximum of 7.78 m at axis 4. The bridge runs at heights of up to 150 m above the Mosel Valley floor, minimising its visual impact on the landscape despite its considerable size.
In addition to the reinforced concrete works, PORR also carried out numerous services such as the specialist civil engineering for the construction pits and slope stabilisation. In light of the form, height, foundation parameters and mass distribution, PORR placed a particular emphasis on the load case of the turbulence-induced lateral oscillations: pylon models were tested in a wind tunnel, investigations were carried out to reduce these loads, measures to reduce the loads were developed and then the findings were successfully put into practice.
Attractive solution with a holistic approach
The infrastructure project “B 50neu” is an exceptional example of structural policy and one of Germany’s most important traffic projects. The new road will close the gap in the highways from the A60 at Wittlich to the A60 at Mainz. The freight industry in particular will benefit massively from the road, while the High Moselle crossing will also experience significant traffic relief in multiple boroughs. Naturally, the Mosel Valley will also experience less heavy traffic.
A total of around EUR 35m was invested in compensation areas when realising the project in order to offset the impacts on nature and the environment. Landscape conservation measures have made it easier for local wildlife to adjust to the new road, whereby green bridges, newly planted forests, orchards and extensive green areas provide animals and insects with the habitats they need.
Facts and figures at a glance
| Project name: | High Moselle Bridge – B 50neu |
|---|---|
| Scope of services: | Construction of the pylons and support structure |
| Client: | Landesbetrieb Mobilität Trier |
| Contractor: | Consortium: SEH Engineering GmbH & PORR GmbH & Co. KGaA (PORR KGF) |
| Construction costs: | EUR 175m |
| Final shunting of bridge: | August 2018 (opened to traffic on 21 November 2019) |
