A45: For the first time in Germany - Rinsdorf viaduct including pillars to be moved

Wilnsdorf. It's an impressive figure: the first section of the Rinsdorf viaduct weighs 40,000 tons and is therefore around twice as heavy as the famous dream ship - the MS Deutschland. On Tuesday and Wednesday (3 and 4 June), the steel and concrete colossus of a bridge will be shifted crosswise - completely: including the substructure with its up to 70-metre-high piers, the bridge half will be moved closer to the second section, on which the A45 traffic is currently running and will continue to do so during the shifting. "The transverse shift including piers is an innovative process that is unique in Germany on this scale," says Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek, Director of the Westphalia branch of the highway authority. The construction consortium of STRABAG AG and Bickhardt Bau AG, who are renewing the two neighboring A45 valley bridges Rinsdorf and Rälsbach for Autobahn GmbH, is responsible for this spectacular highlight.

The first partial structure was erected in a lateral position next to the existing, original structure so that traffic can continue to flow. After the one-part viaduct was blown up around three years ago, the second section was built in the same place. Now the first structure is being pushed centimeter by centimeter into its final position. The bridge will move exactly 20 meters and 59 centimeters to the southwest. The shifting will take around 20 to 30 hours. Preparations are currently in full swing. In recent weeks, the six piers have been raised by around two centimeters. Teflon plates, which act as a sliding cushion, have been inserted into the piers between the skidway and the foundations. The plates are rubbed with special grease so that the bridge can move as if it were on rails and the frictional resistance is reduced to a minimum.

"From the very beginning, it was clear to us that innovation must not come at the expense of safety. That's why we put together a comprehensive package of measures to systematically identify, evaluate and rule out all risks," says Sauerwein-Braksiek. Renowned civil engineering experts were already involved in the planning phase. Their well-founded assessments formed the basis for the selection of the procedure.

No area for spectators

Due to the location and the flow of traffic on the L907 running under the bridge, no area can be made available for spectators to observe the shifting. There are also no parking facilities in the area of the viaduct. The construction site will be completely cordoned off for safety reasons. The cycle path from the Wilnsdorf industrial area towards Rinsdorf will also be closed on June 3 and 4 up to the viaduct. In addition, there is an absolute ban on stopping on the state road.
However, there is a way to follow the shifting live on the Internet: Autobahn Westfalen is offering a live stream on its YouTube channel "Die Autobahn":
In addition, a time-lapse video will be published and made available to the media directly after the transverse shift on June 4.



Background:
Year of construction: 1967
Height:71.9 m
Length: 485.5 m
Ground-breaking ceremony: September 2017
Blasting: February 2022
Special challenge: the bridge is in one piece and first a new structure had to be built next to the old bridge before the existing structure was blown up. After completion of the second part of the structure, the structure built in a lateral position, including the piers, will be moved crosswise.

Source: Autobahn Westfalen